Beijing can help Hong Kong society heal by explaining where ‘red lines’ of national security law lie, says Catholic bishop
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Hong Kong’s Catholic bishop, Stephen Chow Sau-yan, has called on Beijing to make the “red lines” of the national security law clearer for Hongkongers to heal fractures in society and move forward.
The leader of the city’s 400,000 Catholics said various groups cared only about their own interests, but everyone had a role in reconciling a society wounded deeply by the anti-government protests in 2019.
Chow, 63, who was installed as head of the Catholic Diocese last December, shared his views in an interview with an alumni publication of Jesuit Wah Yan College (Kowloon), where he was previously supervisor.
He touched on sensitive topics including the impact of the national security law, which was imposed by Beijing in June 2020 and bans secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign or external forces.
“The difficulty of the national security law lies in not knowing where the red line is. Educators, social workers, and even legal professionals face barriers. Experts and law enforcers might have a different understanding [of the law],” he said.