It was bound to happen , they just needed the excuse, now they have it
China think tank calls for antisecession law after Hong Kong riot
HONG KONG (Kyodo) — Hong Kong should pass antisecession legislation as its current laws fall short of what it needed to protect China’s national security, a Chinese legal expert said Tuesday, a week after the former British colony’s most chaotic protest since its return to Chinese rule in 1997.
Rao Geping, deputy director of the Institute of Hong Kong and Macau Affairs, a Beijing think tank, told Hong Kong reporters in Beijing that Hong Kong has a long-overdue obligation to legislate such a law.
“Hong Kong’s current laws on protecting national security are incomprehensive,” said Rao, who is also member of the Basic Law Committee which advises China’s national legislature on interpretations of Hong Kong’s mini-constitution that has been in effect for the last 18 years.
“Through the Mongkok incident, we can see clearly the need to protect national security. Hong Kong’s security is not only to be seen as a local issue, but also in a general sense a national security issue,” he said.
Rao was referring to last week’s violence in the territory’s busiest spot that left some 130 people injured, including around 90 police officers.
“Shouldn’t Hong Kong society, through the Mongkok incident, further recognize the need to speed up the Article 23 legislation to finish the job that should have been done long ago?” he asked rhetorically.
In 2003, the Hong Kong government of then Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa shelved plans to enact an antisecession law after an estimated 500,000 people took to the streets in protest, marking the largest mass demonstration since the handover. The current administration of Leung Chun-ying has said there is no plan for such legislation during its term that ends in 2017.
Article 23 of the Basic Law stipulates that Hong Kong “shall enact laws on its own to prohibit any act of treason, secession, sedition, subversion” against Beijing, to prohibit foreign political groups from taking part in local political activities and local organizations from establishing ties with foreign political groups.
Hundreds of protesters faced off with police on the night of Feb. 8 after street vendors were said to be facing removal, when they usually would be allowed to sell during the lunar New Year holidays.
The confrontation turned violent when protesters threw glass bottles and bricks dug up from the walkway at police, who were seen struggling to defend themselves on various occasions. The crowds dispersed after police reinforcements arrived early the next day.
