Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu speaks to the media ahead of an Executive Council meeting on May 16, 2023. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)
HONG KONG – The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region must not let its guard down on any threat to the national security lurking in the community, the city’s leader cautioned on Tuesday.
Asked about a Hong Kong permanent resident’s life imprisonment on the Chinese mainland, John Lee Ka-chiu told the media ahead of the weekly Executive Council meeting that “through this incident, we must be aware of the risks to national security lurking in the community”.
John Leung Shing-wan was sentenced to life imprisonment and had his political rights stripped for life for espionage, the Suzhou Intermediate People's Court in Jiangsu province said in a statement on Monday.
“We must not let our guard down on any threat to national security.”
“The Hong Kong-version color revolution and the black-clad riots in 2019 remain an alarm bell for us, so we must stay vigilant against any kind of soft resistance,” he said.
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We must not let our guard down on any threat to national security … The Hong Kong-version color revolution and the black-clad riots in 2019 remain an alarm bell for us, so we must stay vigilant against any kind of soft resistance.
John Lee Ka-chiu, Chief Executive of the HKSAR
There was a reporting mechanism between the mainland and the SAR over any arrest by the mainland authorities of the city’s residents, said Lee, adding that the purpose of the mechanism was to allow family members to understand the situation so that they could do the necessary for the people concerned.
Depending on the actual circumstances, the HKSAR government would provide assistance to the family "as much as we can", he added.
Regarding some books being removed from Hong Kong’s public libraries, the CE said the books were still accessible in private book stores and residents could still purchase them.
But they were not suitable for public libraries, as they spread messages that were not in the interest of the city, he said.
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department had to do their duties and ensure books were not in breach of any law, including copyright, he added.
About reports that some new arrival talents encountered scams while buying properties in Hong Kong, Lee said new arrivals did not understand the situation in the city, so they may be prone to scams and tricks,
The law enforcement officers would step up the anti-scam publicity and education, he added.
Concerning the recent rise in the number of COVID-19 cases, Lee said the government had treated the coronavirus as an upper respiratory tract infection and there was a mechanism to monitor the disease and its severity.
The government also ensured there would be enough drugs for the disease and the city’s residents should follow government advice to get vaccinated, he added.
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The CE also said the pay adjustment for civil servants would be based on established mechanisms, adding that relevant government departments were concluding their studies and would announce the details soon.