Hong Kong authorities propose public interest defence, tougher penalties for collusion with external forces under Article 23 national security law

Minister briefs lawmakers on submissions received during one-month consultation exercise for proposed legislation

Post learns special Executive Council meeting to be held on Thursday or Friday to endorse bill before it is published in gazette

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A banner hangs outside the Ping Shan Rural Committee Office in Yuen Long in support of Article 23 legislation. Authorities have proposed tougher penalties for certain security offences. Photo: May Tse

Published: 1:08pm, 6 Mar 2024Updated: 11:19am, 7 Mar 2024

Hong Kong authorities have proposed allowing a public interest defence and imposing tougher penalties for offenders colluding with external forces under a coming domestic national security law, in response to feedback gathered from a consultation exercise on the bill.

Security minister Chris Tang Ping-keung also told the Legislative Council on Wednesday that the government was considering measures to deter suspects from fleeing the city upon release from arrest, including confiscating their passports and deregistering their businesses.

The Post has learned that a special meeting of the key decision-making Executive Council will be held on Thursday or Friday to endorse the bill before it is published in the gazette. The government plans to introduce it to the legislature next Wednesday for the first reading.

“The authorities are aiming to enact it by mid-April,” a source familiar with the plan said, adding that executive councillors attending the “two sessions”, the key political meetings in Beijing, were told to cut short their stay in the capital and return to Hong Kong for the coming meeting.

Security chief Tang was speaking at a special joint panel meeting of lawmakers after authorities presented a document summarising the more than 13,000 comments gathered during the one-month consultation period on the proposed legislation that ended last week.

The government proposals were in response to feedback from a public consultation on the coming law. Photo: Jelly Tse

Most of the feedback focused on taking part in military drills without authorisation, sedition, theft of state secrets, espionage and foreign interference.