National security law: Hong Kong commerce chief dismisses lawmakers’ calls to censor online films
- Edward Yau questions necessity of such an approach despite lawmakers urging government to adopt ‘new mode of thinking’
- He says new film guidelines will not affect city’s creative freedom
Hong Kong’s commerce chief has brushed aside calls to censor films posted online, questioning if this is practicable and necessary.
In a Legislative Council panel meeting on Monday, lawmakers urged the government to consider censoring films posted online to prevent them from promoting messages endangering national security.
The government last month amended with immediate effect guidelines for the city’s censors, who are now authorised to ban films that breach the Beijing-imposed national security law.
In light of the new rules, pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho Kwan-yiu said a “forward-looking” approach was needed, as online material could get around censorship classification and cinemas were not the only places where people could watch films.
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah, however, questioned the need to impose restrictions on every film posted online.