Latest news with #NSLChroniclesIII
RTHK
7 hours ago
- Politics
- RTHK
'Media should not abuse press freedom'
'Media should not abuse press freedom' Lo Wing-hung said the media won't easily violate security laws as long as they are not politically driven. Photo: RTHK Veteran journalist Lo Wing-hung said while press freedom is important, it should not be abused and and the media should always take a moderate stance. "It's like walking on a tightrope," he told RTHK's NSL Chronicles III programme. "I always think the 'middle-of-the-road' approach is the best for society's overall interests." He said press freedom comes with responsibility, describing the relationship between the two as that of "twin brothers". Lo, who's also a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said media outlets won't easily violate security laws so long as they're not "politically-driven". For those with a "strong political agenda", he said they'll have to make a choice going forward, either to stop doing what they are doing or run the risk of committing a crime.
RTHK
a day ago
- Entertainment
- RTHK
'Filmmakers protected by security laws'
'Filmmakers protected by security laws' Ma Fung-kwok says movies produced in Hong Kong in recent years are of high quality. Photo: RTHK The implementation of national security laws in Hong Kong protects filmmakers instead of restricting their creativity, lawmaker Ma Fung-kwok said. Speaking on RTHK's NSL Chronicles III programme, Ma, a senior film producer and distributor, said clear regulatory requirements in the vetting regime after the National Security Law and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance took effect protect filmmakers from violating the law by accident. He said movies produced in Hong Kong in recent years are of high quality. 'I don't think filmmakers' creativity is affected or restricted. Their creativity is unlimited,' Ma said. 'Filmmakers don't always have to address sensitive issues. And if they do, they should do it skilfully so they can convey their ideas without breaching the regulations or violating the law.' He also said Hong Kong is hosting many international arts and cultural events, which are not affected by the security laws.
RTHK
2 days ago
- Business
- RTHK
'Influx of foreign funds as NSL creates stability'
'Influx of foreign funds as NSL creates stability' Jeffrey Lam says the National Security Law has brought back stability and sparked a return of investments by foreign companies. Photo: RTHK Lawmaker Jeffrey Lam said more foreign funds are coming to Hong Kong as the National Security Law helps to provide a stable environment for businesses. Speaking on RTHK's NSL Chronicles III programme, Lam said the city is attracting the return of funds that were here previously, as well as new ones, with the National Security Law and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance offering confidence to investors. "The National Security Law is an important foundation for social stability," he said. "Why do foreigners invest in Hong Kong and why do the people of Hong Kong re-invest in Hong Kong? It is because of our political, economic and social stability. "I have also been in touch with some of the leading foreign enterprises and have been told they will implement some investment projects in Hong Kong." He said foreign businesses from Asean, the Middle East, Europe and the United States are investing in the SAR again. The businessman and vice-chairman of the Business and Professionals Alliance also cited a survey carried out by the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong showing confidence among US firms in the SAR reaching a three-year high. The survey showed 83 percent of more than 500 corporate executives expressed trust in the city's rule of law, up from 79 percent last year and 73 percent in 2023.
RTHK
3 days ago
- Politics
- RTHK
'Constructive criticism not amounting to sedition'
'Constructive criticism not amounting to sedition' Secretary for Justice Paul Lam said people don't have to worry about falling foul of the SAR's sedition laws so long as their criticism is aimed at suggesting improvement to the authorities. The justice chief told the RTHK programme NSL Chronicles III that there are clear stipulations about how certain acts and comments do not constitute sedition in the home-grown national security law under Article 23 of the Basic Law. "For example, when we have different opinions or criticisms about government policies, the law is clear in this regard," Lam said. "If you're expressing views with the intent of wishing the government to do better, or making so-called criticism with good intentions, the law states in black and white that these do not amount to [the crime of] seditious intention." Lam said according to the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, it is also legal to suggest improvement to the legal or political system as well as the constitutional order, so long as there's no intent to incite hatred or contempt. On the other hand, Lam explained how people may violate seditious laws under Article 23 even if they don't intend to incite violence. He noted there had been instances where some comments "could harm the public's views towards the government", causing hatred or enmity, even if they don't specifically ask people to take up arms to confront the SAR government.
RTHK
5 days ago
- Politics
- RTHK
Security laws 'don't mean public should drop guard'
Security laws 'don't mean public should drop guard' Chris Tang says there was an increase in applications to hold demonstrations in 2024 and the government had not rejected any of them. Photo: RTHK The security chief stressed that the public should remain vigilant even with the implementation of the National Security Law and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance in 2020 and last year respectively. Chris Tang told RTHK's NSL Chronicles III, aired on Monday, that even though Hong Kong has become much more stable with the passage of the laws, national security threats still exist. "You can see that everyday a lot of external forces keep smearing [Hong Kong] or using other ways to endanger national security," he said. "Moreover, a lot of their agents in Hong Kong still deploy a lot of soft resistance – making, for example, false claims to incite discontent with the government on every issue. "We have to be very careful with these kinds of soft resistance." He went on to say that those who have left Hong Kong have continued to smear the SAR and colluded with external forces to endanger national security, and there are domestic terrorism activities to incite discontent towards the administration. However, Tang noted that the public has become more aware of national security. For instance, more than 860,000 reports have been lodged with the national security hotline since it was set up in November 2020. Tang also said it is untrue to say that the two laws have restricted residents' freedom to hold demonstrations and assemblies. There were 392 protest applications in 2024, representing a rise of 15 percent compared with 2023, Tang said, and the government had not rejected any of them.
