China’s top official on Hong Kong affairs has named Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai, legal scholar Benny Tai and young activist Joshua Wong as “extremely vile anti-China elements” who must be severely punished, state media says.

The trio from Hong Kong’s pro-democracy camp are currently held in jail or detention, and face criminal charges under the national security law.

They are said to be part of forces disrupting Hong Kong and must not be allowed to influence any public rights in the city, according to Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office under the State Council in Beijing.

He called for harsh punishment of the three according to the law, in a speech made at a Jan. 22 conference held by the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies in Beijing last Monday, the full contents of which were published in an exclusive report in the March edition of pro-Beijing outlet Bauhinia Magazine.

In his speech, Xia was pronouncing new standards under which one could be considered a patriot when he singled out Lai, Tai and Wong as negative examples.

People who broke national security laws and organized public referendums must not be permitted to assume office in the executive, legislative or judicial arms of government, he said, stressing an urgent need for Beijing-led electoral reform to ensure Hong Kong was ruled only by patriots.

Meanwhile, former Hong Kong chief executive Leung Chun-ying said that it was completely justified to demand patriotism of legislative and district councilors.

“Around the world, everyone who governs the society and the country have the responsibility to love their motherland,” Leung told mainland Chinese newspaper Southern Metropolis Daily in an interview.

“Opposition” councilors who publicly lobbied for foreign sanctions on China and destabilized Hong Kong were “people of malicious intent,” he said.

The Hong Kong government must remove them from the system by conducting electoral reform that would “leave no opportunities for agents who mess up Hong Kong,” said Leung, now vice chair of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the top advisory body in China.

The former Hong Kong chief said that effects of the national security law imposed last June were already apparent. For example, the annual financial budget of the government did not run into the usual disruption in the legislature, now largely consisting of pro-establishment lawmakers, during its delivery last week.

Leung also voiced support for requiring district councilors to pledge allegiance to the Hong Kong government and the Basic Law, the city’s mini constitution. It would ensure that district council work was carried out under the framework of the Basic Law, he added.

Click here for Chinese version

---------------------------------

Apple Daily’s all-new English Edition is now available on the mobile app: bit.ly/2yMMfQE

To download the latest version,

iOS: bit.ly/AD_iOS

Android: bit.ly/AD_android

Or search Appledaily in App Store or Google Play