Secretary for Security John Lee has said that the government has not received any application of appeal from the banned pro-independence Hong Kong National Party.
Andy Chan’s party was officially banned by the government last month citing national security concerns under the Societies Ordinance – the first such case after the 1997 Handover. However, it has 30 days to file an appeal to the chief executive and the Executive Council. Wednesday is the deadline.
“My colleagues have not notified me of any appeal,” Lee told reporters on Wednesday.
When he was asked how the government will handle the case if there was an application to extend the deadline, Lee said the authorities will handle it in accordance with the law and the actual situation.
Chan, co-founder of the embattled party, has yet to indicate whether he will file an appeal. He told news site HK01 on Monday that he had yet to decide owing to the complexity of the issue.
He also said that he was concerned that, if he filed an appeal, it may mean that he was acting as a member of an unlawful society.
Under the Societies Ordinance, any one who manages or assists in the management of an unlawful society may be subject to a HK$100,000 fine and three years in prison.
