Hong Kong’s former security deputy Sonny Au to head local committee on safeguarding national security
- Au, a career police officer, will take up post previously held by current Chief Secretary Eric Chan
- City leader John Lee says Au ‘possesses a strong sense of national security and is well-versed in national security affairs’
Hong Kong’s former security undersecretary has been appointed by Beijing as the new secretary general of the local committee overseeing national security policy, with his predecessor promoted earlier to become the city’s No 2 official.
Sonny Au Chi-kwong, a career police officer, will take up the post previously held by now Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki. Beijing’s State Council implemented the move on Monday at the suggestion of Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu.
Chan was also the director of the Chief Executive’s Office in the previous administration led by Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, and will continue to serve as a member of the committee in his new capacity as chief secretary.
Lee on Monday touted the ability of Au, who served as undersecretary for security over the past five years. “He possesses a strong sense of national security and is well-versed in national security affairs,” the city leader said in a statement.
“He is capable of taking up the post of secretary general to lead the secretariat in supporting the committee to fulfil its crucial responsibility to safeguard national security.”
Hong Kong tells schools to ramp up national education and related campus activities
The Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region was set up under a provision of the national security law.
Chaired by the chief executive and with a Beijing-appointed adviser among its members, the committee formulates policies for national security, as well as advances the development of the legal system and enforcement mechanisms in the city.
Other key members of the committee include the financial secretary, secretary for justice, secretary for security and police commissioner. The committee answers to Beijing.
Security chiefs sorry for breaking social-distancing rules at luxury dinner
Au, 60, joined the police force in 1980 as a constable and was appointed as an inspector six years later. He was promoted to chief superintendent in 2007, assistant commissioner of police in 2011 and senior assistant commissioner of police in 2015, and eventually joined the government as undersecretary for security in 2017.
In July last year, Au was among three senior security officials who apologised after they were found to have broken social-distancing rules while attending a hotpot dinner at a luxury clubhouse.
