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Hong Kong national security law can be enacted by month-end, say Hong Kong delegates to Chinese parliament

蘋果日報 2020/06/02 12:40


The national security law Beijing plans to impose on Hong Kong could be enforced in the city as soon as the end of this month, said three local delegates to the National People's Congress.
Their remarks follow the release of a new version of the NPC Standing Committee’s work report. Compared to the version read out by NPC head Li Zhanshu last Monday, the latest report added that legislation processes related to the new law should be accelerated.
China’s plan to enact a tailor-made national security law in Hong Kong was passed by the NPC last week but details of the law are yet to be released. It was previously widely speculated that the bill would not come into force until August.

Tam Yiu-chung, Hong Kong's sole delegate to the NPC's standing committee, said there was no clear timeline at the moment, but quite a few delegates felt the law should be enacted as soon as possible.

Another local NPC delegate Maria Tam Wai-chu expected that the standing committee would finish the legislative process as soon as the end of this month. Tam also urged Hong Kongers to recognize that they were the minority in China, and should respect the views of the majority, particularly when the matter concerns national security.

Ip Kwok-him, an NPC delegate and member of the Executive Council, shared Tam's view concerning the timeline. He added that the national security law could be enforced in Hong Kong before July 1, which marks the 23rd anniversary of the territory's transfer of sovereignty from Britain to China. Since 2003, the opposition in Hong Kong every year has organized a march to voice their discontent with the government and demand universal suffrage.

The NPC's standing committee usually holds three meetings to review a bill before putting it to a vote. However, the committee can fast-track the process and proceed to voting immediately when all members reach a consensus the first time they meet.
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