The red line of Hong Kong’s security law is not ‘doom and gloom,’ the city’s leader Carrie Lam said, adding that the legislation is not harsh when compared with other countries
HONG KONG - Hong Kong’s national security law does not spell “doom and gloom”, its leader said on Tuesday, as she tried to calm unease over legislation that critics say could quash freedoms that have underpinned the city’s success as a financial hub.
“Surely, this is not doom and gloom for Hong Kong,” the city’s Beijing-backed leader, Carrie Lam, told a weekly news conference. Lam said cases involving the new mainland agents would be “rare”, but nevertheless, national security was a “red line” that should not be crossed.“It is a rather mild law. Its scope is not as broad as that in other countries and even China,” she said.
But Lam said she had not noticed widespread fears and the law would restore the city’s status as one of the safest in the world after the violent pro-democracy protests last year.“If Hong Kong police and the government do not get information from Facebook, they may have other means,” said 45-year-old playwright Yan Pat-To.Shortly after the law came into force, pro-democracy activists such as Joshua Wong disbanded their organisations while others have left.
The final power of interpretation of the law lies with authorities in mainland China, where human rights groups have reported arbitrary detentions and disappearances. China has been clamping down on dissent and tightening censorship.
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