Ambrose Lee issues call to open PLA and foreign service to Hongkongers

Former Hong Kong security minister Ambrose Lee Siu-kwong has added the military and foreign service to the government sectors that he believes should be opened to young Hongkongers.

Lee, a local deputy to the National People's Congress, called on the central government yesterday to consider creating paths for the city's youth to pursue careers in the country's armed forces and diplomatic corps.

"When I was the secretary for security, I was asked by some why locals were not allowed to join the armed forces," Lee told Hong Kong journalists in Beijing. "We need some sense and possession of national security."

The Basic Law gives the central government responsibility for Hong Kong's defence and foreign relations.

Lee was expanding on remarks he made earlier this week in which he argued for letting Hongkongers join the civil service on the mainland. Doing so would foster "a sense of involvement in national affairs", he said.

The suggestion comes amid simmering anti-mainland sentiment in Hong Kong, including a high-profile protest against mainland tourists and pro-independence activists who trespassed at the People's Liberation Army barracks in Admiralty.

Lee said his suggestion had nothing to do with such incidents, which he said represented the views of "a small group of people".