https://www.scmp.com/rss/326534/feed Sum Lok-kei worked at the Post from 2018 until 2020. He was a reporter on the Hong Kong desk. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The Hong Kong government should release an official English version of the sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing as soon as possible to ensure judges handling cases have a comprehensive understanding of it, lawyers and legal scholars say. But three days after the law came into effect in the city, a government spokesman said on Saturday that the English translation of the legislation had been published on its website on Friday. The government gazetted the Chinese version of the law at... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3091786/hong-kong-government-should-release-official-english?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3091786/hong-kong-government-should-release-official-english?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Jul 2020 02:30:10 +0000 The Hong Kong government’s assertion that popular protest slogan “Liberate Hong Kong; revolution of our times” equates to a separatist call is not a legally binding one, the city’s lawyers said on Friday. Observers and opposition politicians also cited the government pronouncement as an example of the chilling effect created by the sweeping new national security law, which they said granted authorities an excuse to silence dissidents. Two days after Beijing imposed its legislation outlawing acts... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3091703/national-security-law-liberate-hong-kong-revolution-our?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3091703/national-security-law-liberate-hong-kong-revolution-our?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Jul 2020 07:43:59 +0000 Some restaurants that sympathised with Hong Kong’s protests last year have removed posters and Post-it notes critical of the administration, with one claiming to have been warned by police on Thursday that the materials would go against the new national security law. A restaurant in Shau Kei Wan, Bowl and Plate, said four uniformed police turned up at its doors on Thursday morning, saying they received reports about materials posted there that could violate the sweeping new legislation Beijing... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3091599/hong-kong-national-security-law-police-warn-restaurant-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3091599/hong-kong-national-security-law-police-warn-restaurant-over?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Jul 2020 12:41:25 +0000 Hong Kong’s justice minister has stopped short of saying whether separatist slogans are outlawed under the new national security law after demonstrators continued to utter pro-independence chants during an unauthorised July 1 protest. China’s top legislative body, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, passed the law on Tuesday morning and it was gazetted in Hong Kong at 11pm. The law punishes acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign and external forces.... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3091435/national-security-law-will-hong-kong-residents-find?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3091435/national-security-law-will-hong-kong-residents-find?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Jul 2020 03:00:12 +0000 The fate of Hong Kong’s localist political groups was left hanging in the balance on Tuesday, as at least three shut their local branches soon after the national security law was passed by China’s top legislative body. Opposition party Demosisto disbanded hours after Joshua Wong Chi-fung and several key members tendered their resignations, vowing to continue their political advocacy “in a personal capacity” on the day the legislation was due to take effect in the city. The Hong Kong National... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3091183/hong-kong-national-security-law-future-citys-localist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3091183/hong-kong-national-security-law-future-citys-localist?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Jun 2020 07:31:01 +0000 Political activists in Hong Kong have said they plan to disobey the police ban on the July 1 march and will use civil disobedience to protest against Beijing’s new national security law for the city, possibly on the very day the legislation kicks in. Police insiders said about 4,000 officers will stand by on Wednesday to handle any unrest, in addition to those patrolling and conducting stop-and-search checks at likely protest sites. LATEST: Opposition veterans to defy police ban on July 1... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3091097/hong-kong-activists-plan-defy-police-ban-july-1-protest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3091097/hong-kong-activists-plan-defy-police-ban-july-1-protest?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Jun 2020 00:00:23 +0000 The Hong Kong government has slammed new US legislation that is paving the way for targeted sanctions against Beijing and Hong Kong officials, though local observers insist they expect relatively little impact on individuals and businesses in the city. In a strongly worded statement released on Friday night, a government spokesman said the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, passed unanimously by the United States Senate as a response to Beijing’s planned national security law for the city, was “totally... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3090799/local-observers-believe-us-senates-hong-kong-autonomy-act?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3090799/local-observers-believe-us-senates-hong-kong-autonomy-act?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Jun 2020 14:30:15 +0000 Hong Kong opposition groups are moving funds overseas and digitising historical records of mainland China’s 1989 pro-democracy movement in preparation for the national security law that Beijing is about to impose on the city. But even as they make contingency plans, the groups have ruled out changing their manifestos, with one saying it will continue to call for an end to one-party rule in mainland China. Demosisto, a political party co-founded by former Occupy Central student leader Joshua Wong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3090596/hong-kong-national-security-law-opposition-groups-moving?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3090596/hong-kong-national-security-law-opposition-groups-moving?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Jun 2020 10:30:12 +0000 Senior government staff in Hong Kong must consider the national context when executing policies in the city, the civil service chief said on Wednesday as he sought to clarify his earlier remarks on the role of the workforce. Patrick Nip Tak-kuen, the minister in charge of the 180,000 public sector workers in Hong Kong, said the implementation of “one country, two systems” could only be improved by looking at things from both a national and city perspective. Nip was speaking to legislators to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3090461/senior-hong-kong-public-officers-should-keep-mind-countrys?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3090461/senior-hong-kong-public-officers-should-keep-mind-countrys?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Jun 2020 12:39:48 +0000 Hong Kong’s most prominent march organiser has made seven proposals in a bid to get police to approve its annual July 1 pro-democracy march, despite social-distancing rules imposed because of the coronavirus. But the Civil Human Rights Front said it was “100 per cent” expecting the march to be banned after meeting with police on Tuesday. The group vowed to lodge an appeal. “This is the most lacklustre meeting with police I’ve had in 10 years,” Jimmy Sham Tsz-kit, the front’s convenor and a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3090282/hong-kong-protests-organisers-100-cent-expect-traditional?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3090282/hong-kong-protests-organisers-100-cent-expect-traditional?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Jun 2020 10:59:37 +0000 Hong Kong’s leader on Tuesday promised not to hand-pick individual judges to oversee specific national security law cases, saying she would instead draw up a list after consulting the city’s chief justice. But while Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor also rejected calls from the pro-Beijing camp to select only Chinese judges, her assurances failed to satisfy critics who have raised concerns that judicial independence would be undermined by her power to decide who should hear cases after... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3090218/national-security-law-hong-kong-leader-carrie-lam-rejects?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3090218/national-security-law-hong-kong-leader-carrie-lam-rejects?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Jun 2020 05:47:04 +0000 Hong Kong’s plan to form a travel bubble with Macau and neighbouring Guangdong province on mainland China has stalled over technical issues. Under the plan, Hong Kong residents with a valid health certificate stating they are free of the coronavirus would be exempt from mandatory quarantine when travelling to the province and the casino hub. A month after the plan was announced, the Hong Kong government is under increasing pressure to speed up the process as the city gradually eases... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3090214/coronavirus-travel-bubble-plan-hong-kong-mainland?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3090214/coronavirus-travel-bubble-plan-hong-kong-mainland?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Jun 2020 05:23:55 +0000 Opposition activists failed to garner enough support for a citywide strike over the proposed national security law for Hong Kong, even as the voting period of their unofficial “referendum” was extended. That came after China’s top legislative body tabled the first draft of the controversial law. The unofficial poll, which was organised by labour unions and not enforceable by law, closed at 9pm, an hour later than planned. Organisers needed 60,000 votes to call for a citywide work strike, but... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3089902/national-security-law-hong-kong-workers-and-students-start?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3089902/national-security-law-hong-kong-workers-and-students-start?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Jun 2020 03:42:04 +0000 Former Occupy student leaders Joshua Wong Chi-fung and Nathan Law Kwun-chung have thrown their hats into the ring for the opposition camp’s primaries in the lead-up to Hong Kong’s Legislative Council elections, despite facing disqualification under the impending national security law. Announcing his bid to seek the camp’s endorsement for a Kowloon East seat on Friday, Wong warned he could be slapped with harsher penalties over his political stance, should the legislation being tailor-made by... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3089858/former-occupy-student-leaders-joshua-wong-nathan-law-bid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3089858/former-occupy-student-leaders-joshua-wong-nathan-law-bid?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Jun 2020 12:00:07 +0000 Hong Kong’s election authority has shot down a government proposal to set up a special queue for the elderly and those with mobility issues in the upcoming Legislative Council polls, saying support measures are already in place for vulnerable voters. The Electoral Affairs Commission’s decision on Thursday raised eyebrows after a dedicated lane at polling stations was repeatedly backed by pro-government parties and even Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai, who... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3089659/hong-kong-election-authority-rejects-governments-special?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3089659/hong-kong-election-authority-rejects-governments-special?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Jun 2020 12:48:48 +0000 Almost all Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) members who responded to a survey oppose the national security law Beijing is preparing for the city, in a poll which recorded their fears over personal safety and self-censorship in the industry. Some 98 per cent of the 150 respondents said they were against the legislation, with an overwhelming majority also registering concerns over its potential impact on press freedom and their own welfare. The new law aims to prevent, stop and punish... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3089563/national-security-law-hong-kong-journalists-association?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3089563/national-security-law-hong-kong-journalists-association?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Jun 2020 06:47:31 +0000 The Hong Kong minister overseeing elections has dropped the biggest hint yet that candidates who oppose the national security law Beijing is crafting for the city could be barred from running in upcoming polls for the legislature. Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai said on Wednesday that he had doubts as to whether those who were against the law being drafted by China’s top legislative body, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, were fit to run... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3089457/national-security-law-hong-kong-official-drops-hints?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3089457/national-security-law-hong-kong-official-drops-hints?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Jun 2020 12:13:15 +0000 Hongkongers who breach the new national security law Beijing is tailor-making for the city, particularly in cases involving foreign interference, could be extradited to mainland China for trial, according to Hong Kong’s sole delegate to the country’s top legislative body. The suggestion on Wednesday from Tam Yiu-chung, who sits on the National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC), was a further elaboration of a statement by Deng Zhonghua, deputy director of the cabinet-level Hong Kong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3089386/breaking-hong-kong-national-security-law-could-get?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3089386/breaking-hong-kong-national-security-law-could-get?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Jun 2020 07:20:53 +0000 Beijing officials made a concerted effort on Monday to ease fears about the new national security law for Hong Kong, detailing for the first time how the controversial legislation would not be used retroactively. But while they took pains to explain the similarities and differences between the legal systems on either side of the border, they also sparked further concerns by suggesting the new legislation should be compatible with national laws applied in mainland China. “Principles guiding the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3089166/national-security-law-hong-kong-not-retroactive-can-it-be?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3089166/national-security-law-hong-kong-not-retroactive-can-it-be?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Jun 2020 14:29:17 +0000 Thousands of people in Hong Kong mourned the death of protester “raincoat man” on Monday, a year after he fell from height in Admiralty ahead of a march against the now-withdrawn extradition bill. On Monday, a shrine was built around a yellow raincoat outside Pacific Place mall, as thousands placed white flowers and placards in memory of Leung Ling-kit. “Only the forgotten are truly dead,” a poster on the shrine read. Leung, aged 37, was seen standing on top of scaffolding outside the mall last... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3089150/more-1000-mourners-death-anniversary-hong-kong-protester?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3089150/more-1000-mourners-death-anniversary-hong-kong-protester?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Jun 2020 12:37:54 +0000 A windsurfer in Hong Kong drowned off a closed public beach while typhoon standby signal No 1 was in force on Sunday. Dozens of beaches remain without lifeguards after the government suspended service due to the coronavirus pandemic. The 39-year-old windsurfer was thought to have drowned off Lower Cheung Sha Beach on Lantau Island, police said. Seas were choppy in the late morning with Tropical Cyclone Nuri about 260km west-southwest of the city. She was pulled from the water by a friend and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3088993/hong-kong-windsurfer-drowns-public-beach-closed-due?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3088993/hong-kong-windsurfer-drowns-public-beach-closed-due?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Jun 2020 10:26:07 +0000 Ten workers were injured after a metal scaffolding tower rising seven storeys inside a government-owned chemical waste treatment facility collapsed in Hong Kong on Sunday. Nearly 100 emergency rescuers using life detector devices and sniffer dogs combed through the debris at the Tsing Yi plant in search of the workers, one of whom was in serious condition. The government has launched an investigation into the incident to determine whether workplace safety rules were violated at the facility,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3088969/five-people-sent-hospitals-and-four-trapped-inside-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3088969/five-people-sent-hospitals-and-four-trapped-inside-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Jun 2020 02:49:57 +0000 Pupils should not protest against the incoming national security law at Hong Kong’s schools, including singing songs with political messages such as the protester anthem Glory to Hong Kong , the city’s education minister has said. The song was “clearly propaganda”, Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said on Thursday, adding that students should also not take it upon themselves to promote the new law. Asked what songs might be prohibited, Yeung told a local radio programme that the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3088559/national-security-law-protests-have-no-place-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3088559/national-security-law-protests-have-no-place-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Jun 2020 04:21:00 +0000 Hong Kong’s education chief has asked schools to discipline any students or teachers who join a planned strike over Beijing’s imposition of a national security law on Hong Kong. Pupils were being “exploited” for the political ends of the labour unions and student activists organising the action, Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said in a letter sent to all primary and secondary school principals on Wednesday. Such manipulation came at the expense of the students’ interests and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3088502/punish-any-students-or-teachers-who-join-planned-strike?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3088502/punish-any-students-or-teachers-who-join-planned-strike?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Jun 2020 16:54:29 +0000 More than HK$66 million (US$8.5 million) has been spent to repair public facilities damaged during Hong Kong’s anti-government protests in the past year, including bricks removed from pavements that could cover an area larger than three soccer pitches, the government has said. But repairing 740 sets of traffic lights – that were burnt, smashed and blackened – was the costliest affair, at HK$40 million. In a reply to pro-establishment lawmaker Gary Chan Hak-kan on Wednesday, the government... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3088459/hong-kong-protests-government-spent-more-hk66-million?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3088459/hong-kong-protests-government-spent-more-hk66-million?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Jun 2020 10:56:23 +0000 Hong Kong’s opposition camp has sought to raise HK$3.5 million (US$451,600) to fund its primary election before September’s Legislative Council polls, as it eyes a majority in the city’s legislature. Spearheaded by co-founder of the Occupy protests Benny Tai Yiu-ting, the camp hopes to mobilise at least 170,000 people to cast their ballots in hundreds of polling stations to be set up on roadsides, at councillors’ offices and pro-democracy businesses in July to find out popular candidates who are... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3088197/hong-kongs-opposition-camp-plans-raise-hk35-million-fund?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3088197/hong-kongs-opposition-camp-plans-raise-hk35-million-fund?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Jun 2020 07:49:24 +0000 Workers and students are threatening to strike as a “warning shot” against Beijing’s proposed national security law for Hong Kong, if supported by tens of thousands of participants. Labour unions, including one for civil servants, and a student group are organising the action, which will go ahead if 70,000 people take part in a vote next week and the move is approved by a 60 per cent majority. The proposal comes as 17 of 18 district councils passed a motion calling for the new law to be... https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3087872/national-security-law-unions-and-student-group-threaten-strike-warning-shot?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3087872/national-security-law-unions-and-student-group-threaten-strike-warning-shot?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2020 14:29:57 +0000 Hong Kong’s justice minister has given a public assurance that her department will make independent prosecutorial decisions under the new national security law Beijing is imposing on the city, and promised to remain free of any interference from authorities in mainland China. Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah made the vow as Beijing’s top representative in the city met local delegates to the country’s highest legislature and political advisory body on Saturday afternoon, and reported... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3087851/national-security-law-hong-kong-justice-chief-says-city?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3087851/national-security-law-hong-kong-justice-chief-says-city?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2020 07:22:48 +0000 Hong Kong’s legislature on Thursday passed a bill to criminalise abuse of the Chinese national anthem, despite attempts by opposition lawmakers to interrupt the proceedings. While the government says most people will be unaffected by the law, critics argue its wording is vague and could have an effect on freedom of speech in Hong Kong. Here is an overview of what you need to know about the issue. What is the national anthem law? The law regulates how people should behave when March of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3087813/hong-kongs-national-anthem-law-when-you-can-ignore-song-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3087813/hong-kongs-national-anthem-law-when-you-can-ignore-song-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2020 02:00:24 +0000 Hong Kong’s annual Tiananmen Square vigil gained fresh urgency as people defied a ban to gather on Thursday to remember the 1989 crackdown. In recent years, the organizer of the annual vigil had faced questions about its relevance from young people who dismissed it as naive and idealistic for caring about democratic change over the border in mainland China. But this time, Hong Kong activists put aside such differences in the face of a looming threat: a national security law to be imposed on... https://www.scmp.com/politics/hong-kongs-tiananmen-vigil-goes-ahead-new-generation-galvanized/article/3087723?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/hong-kongs-tiananmen-vigil-goes-ahead-new-generation-galvanized/article/3087723?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2020 11:21:04 +0000 In recent years, the organiser of the annual Tiananmen vigil in Hong Kong endured questions about its relevance from young people who slammed it for being ritualistic, naive and idealistic for caring about democratic change in mainland China. But this month, activists put aside such ideological differences in the face of a looming threat: a Beijing-decreed national security law that could come into effect very soon. Many feared its promulgation could outlaw the vigil, which had been the only... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3087624/our-fights-are-not-so-different-hong-kongs-tiananmen-vigil?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3087624/our-fights-are-not-so-different-hong-kongs-tiananmen-vigil?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2020 23:30:19 +0000 A ban on public gatherings triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic is set to interrupt a decades-old Hong Kong tradition that has turned Victoria Park into a sea of lit candles every June 4, a commemoration of the bloody 1989 crackdown on the student-led protest movement in Beijing. But the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which organises the annual candlelight vigil, has vowed to head to the park nonetheless, at the risk of police intervention. Others have... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3087431/banned-first-time-30-years-heres-what-you-need-know-about?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3087431/banned-first-time-30-years-heres-what-you-need-know-about?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2020 02:00:18 +0000 Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor will head to Beijing on Wednesday with Hong Kong’s top legal and security officials to reflect her views and public concerns about the national security law that China’s top legislative body is preparing for the city. The announcement came as Lam’s deputy sparked further controversy by getting the head of the city’s legislature to ban an opposition lawmaker from asking about the new law, saying it was national-level legislation and therefore not the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3087196/hong-kong-legco-bans-opposition-lawmaker-asking-question?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3087196/hong-kong-legco-bans-opposition-lawmaker-asking-question?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2020 09:53:23 +0000 Hong Kong’s chief executive has filled two government vacancies with members of pro-Beijing political parties, following a top-level cabinet reshuffle last month. Federation of Trade Unions lawmaker Ho Kai-ming, 35, will take on the post of undersecretary for labour and welfare, while Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) member Julian Ip Chun-lim, 28, was appointed political assistant to the treasury minister. Hong Kong cabinet reshuffle not linked to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3086811/hong-kong-chief-executive-carrie-lam-fills-two-government?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3086811/hong-kong-chief-executive-carrie-lam-fills-two-government?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 May 2020 07:13:28 +0000 Hong Kong’s justice secretary has accused US President Donald Trump of infringing the principle of non-intervention under international law, arguing it is “completely false and wrong” to say the city has lost its autonomy. Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah also said that the national security law proposed for the city, which triggered the US’ controversial move, might not be retrospective in principle. Cheng hit back hours after Trump revealed his government would begin eliminating special policy exemptions... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3086803/hong-kong-justice-secretary-teresa-cheng-slams-us-president?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3086803/hong-kong-justice-secretary-teresa-cheng-slams-us-president?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 May 2020 05:10:53 +0000 Britain will offer up to 2.9 million Hongkongers who are eligible for a British National (Overseas) passport the chance to stay in the European nation for 12 months, potentially putting them on the path to citizenship. The offer comes after Beijing adopted a resolution on Thursday that paves the way for a new national security law to be instilled in the former colony. The resolution has been condemned by several Western governments. In a statement to the Post, British Home Secretary Priti Patel... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3086785/london-opens-door-hongkongers-bno-passports-stay-least-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3086785/london-opens-door-hongkongers-bno-passports-stay-least-year?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 May 2020 17:12:59 +0000 Hong Kong’s representatives to mainland China’s top legislature on Friday vowed to enlist support for the new national security law amid widespread opposition and anxiety in the city, stressing that Beijing’s resolve would not be weakened by any retaliatory measures by Washington. There would be no U-turn on the decision to introduce the law despite such threats, Tam Yiu-chung, the city’s only member of the apex of the body, the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said as he and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3086780/national-security-law-hong-kong-delegates-npc-say-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3086780/national-security-law-hong-kong-delegates-npc-say-us?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 May 2020 15:29:13 +0000 A blame game ensued among Hong Kong’s politicians on Thursday, a day after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared the city as no longer autonomous from China, a determination which could be a precursor to sanctions or crimping its preferential trading terms. Each side insisted they were not responsible for the threat of such actions, which could deal a devastating blow to the city’s economy and status as an international business centre, pointing fingers instead at their opponents for... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3086574/hong-kongs-lawmakers-point-fingers-over-whos-blame-threat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3086574/hong-kongs-lawmakers-point-fingers-over-whos-blame-threat?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 May 2020 00:00:23 +0000 Hong Kong must choose “the lesser of two evils”, American retaliation or a foreign investment exodus from an “unstable society” that lacks a security law, a former justice secretary has argued in the wake of the United States declaring the city is no longer autonomous. Elsie Leung Oi-sie also said that while Hong Kong courts could seek interpretations from the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) before deciding relevant cases, a suggestion that Beijing would bar judges... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3086486/hong-kong-must-choose-lesser-two-evils-us-retaliation-or?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3086486/hong-kong-must-choose-lesser-two-evils-us-retaliation-or?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 May 2020 07:05:31 +0000 Emergency services were called into the Legislative Council’s chamber on Thursday after an opposition lawmaker dropped a container of foul-smelling rotten plants on the second day of a debate over the controversial national anthem bill. Pro-establishment lawmaker Chan Hoi-yan was taken to hospital after she said the smell had made her sick. Lawmakers later approved the national anthem bill as the second reading concluded on Thursday. The bill is still subject to a third reading, which will take... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3086464/kicking-stink-opposition-lawmaker-delays-national-anthem?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3086464/kicking-stink-opposition-lawmaker-delays-national-anthem?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 May 2020 05:19:36 +0000 Protesters are planning mass action for Wednesday to disrupt a debate on the controversial national anthem bill in Hong Kong’s legislature and bring city traffic to a standstill, while students from dozens of schools say they intend to boycott classes. Bracing for a large turnout at the Legislative Council, police on Tuesday morning blocked some of the main roads near the Legco complex, including Legislative Council Road, and erected additional water-filled barriers to fence it off, with... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3086143/students-plan-boycott-while-protesters-eye-tuesday-night?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3086143/students-plan-boycott-while-protesters-eye-tuesday-night?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 May 2020 09:55:09 +0000 About 3,000 police officers will be deployed across Hong Kong on Wednesday when protesters are expected to stage a rally outside the legislature and try to paralyse traffic in an attempt to derail debate on a controversial national anthem bill. Authorities are bracing for a mass turnout after thousands defied social-distancing laws and gathered on Sunday to demonstrate against Beijing’s plan to install a national security law in Hong Kong. Riot officers fired rounds of tear gas and used a water... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3086000/hong-kong-police-ramp-security-ahead-planned-protests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3086000/hong-kong-police-ramp-security-ahead-planned-protests?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 May 2020 13:23:15 +0000 Hong Kong’s police chief personally offered an apology to journalists mistreated by officers at a protest earlier this month but made no promise of refraining from using force against reporters in the future, according to media representatives who attended a meeting with him on Thursday. Police Commissioner Chris Tang Ping-keung met four media groups – the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA), the Hong Kong News Executives’ Association (HKNEA), the Hong Kong Federation of Journalists and the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3085528/hong-kong-police-chief-apologises-reporters-mistreated?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3085528/hong-kong-police-chief-apologises-reporters-mistreated?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 May 2020 14:28:57 +0000 Beijing’s foreign affairs arm in Hong Kong on Thursday accused the United States’ top diplomat of threatening the city following his remarks that it was “difficult to assess” whether the city remains highly autonomous from mainland China. The office also condemned Chris Patten, the city’s last colonial governor, “to everlasting infamy” for his criticism of a report by a police watchdog into the force’s handling of the anti-government protests last year. A spokesman for the Office of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3085505/beijings-foreign-ministry-office-hong-kong-accuses-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3085505/beijings-foreign-ministry-office-hong-kong-accuses-us?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 May 2020 11:49:37 +0000 A former top official at Hong Kong’s public exam authority has warned against scrapping a controversial history paper question on Sino-Japanese relations without scientific grounds, a day after the government asked for it to be struck out. Choi Chee-cheong, who served as secretary general of the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) from 1992 to 2004, urged the independent body to “think thrice” over the decision and to act for the benefit of exam candidates. “Invalidating a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3084736/former-chief-hong-kongs-exams-body-warns-against-scrapping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3084736/former-chief-hong-kongs-exams-body-warns-against-scrapping?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 May 2020 01:30:15 +0000 A man who was allegedly beaten by police while he was detained in hospital was on Saturday sentenced to six months in jail for assaulting an officer and another man in a park before his arrest last year. Chung Chi-wah, 62, pleaded guilty to one count of common assault and one count of assaulting a police officer at Fanling Magistrates’ Courts on Saturday. The court heard that he was involved in a quarrel with a man at a park in Sheung Shui over their political views on June 25 last year. Chung... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3084726/alleged-victim-beating-hong-kong-police-sentenced-six?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3084726/alleged-victim-beating-hong-kong-police-sentenced-six?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 May 2020 13:16:14 +0000 Plain-clothes police arrested eight people in a Hong Kong shopping centre on Saturday, as anti-government protesters gathered to chant slogans as part of a citywide action. The protesters showed up at the East Point City mall in Tseung Kwan O after heeding online calls to gather at four arcades across town in a series of “shop with you” protests, aiming to force businesses to close temporarily. Around 2.20pm, a group of plain-clothes officers subdued eight people inside East Point City. Before... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3084705/hong-kong-protests-plain-clothes-police-arrest-eight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3084705/hong-kong-protests-plain-clothes-police-arrest-eight?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 May 2020 08:55:34 +0000 The police watchdog’s review of the attack at Yuen Long railway station and five other key dates from the anti-government protests in Hong Kong last year has urged the force to build trust and improve communication with the public. The Independent Police Complaints Council report sets out in detail the unfolding of some of the most controversial episodes during the unrest, including the storming of the legislature and a clearance operation at Prince Edward railway station, among other incidents... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3084671/hong-kong-protests-police-watchdog-reviews-six-days-changed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3084671/hong-kong-protests-police-watchdog-reviews-six-days-changed?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 May 2020 16:54:04 +0000 Policing in Hong Kong has no systemic problem and the use of force was only in response to violence during last year’s chaotic anti-government protests, the police watchdog’s long-awaited report has concluded, while also recommending areas for improvement in internal enforcement and communication with the public. In its 999-page report released on Friday, the Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) made 52 recommendations, including a review of the force’s operational command structure,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3084550/hong-kong-anti-government-protests-police-use-force?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3084550/hong-kong-anti-government-protests-police-use-force?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 May 2020 07:17:53 +0000 Hong Kong’s Labour Department is looking into whether the case of a 12-year-old boy detained by police for covering a protest for online media involved child labour. The department said it had contacted the platform Student Depth Media to check whether any labour laws were breached and wanted a response by next Wednesday. “To clarify the matter, the department’s labour inspection division sent an email to the media to explain relevant clauses of the Employment of Children Regulations and invite... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3084466/hong-kong-authorities-inquiring-whether-12-year-old?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3084466/hong-kong-authorities-inquiring-whether-12-year-old?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 May 2020 23:30:14 +0000