Hong Kong leader John Lee has defended new national security conditions for licences issued to restaurants and other food and entertainment-related businesses.
Speaking at a weekly press conference on Tuesday, the chief executive described the new conditions as “appropriate and the right thing to do.”
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) is bound by law to safeguard national security, he said, and the “offending conduct” against national security is “clearly stated” in the conditions.
Lee shrugged off worries raised by some businesses in the city that they may run afoul of the law unwittingly.
“Offending conduct means any offence that endangers national security, or acts and events that are contrary to national security and public interest in Hong Kong. It is very clear,” he said in Cantonese.
“Security is the foundation for development, and we will continue to revamp the laws and the mechanisms of safeguarding national security, he added.
FEHD letter
Local media reported on Monday that since the end of May, restaurants, entertainment premises, and other businesses had received a letter from the FEHD.
According to the FEHD letter, if business licence holders and “related persons” engage in “offending conduct” against national security or public interest, authorities could revoke their licence.
“Related persons” include directors, management, employees, agents, and subcontractors, the letter read.
One restaurant owner told HKFP on Monday that both of his eateries received the FEHD’s letter, postmarked Thursday, May 30.
Some eatery owners told Ming Pao that they feared the new conditions were too vague and that they could lose their licence over false allegations.
Lee said on Tuesday that the conditions also applied to licences for stalls in Chinese New Year markets.
Every Chinese citizen is obliged to safeguard national security, including residents of Hong Kong, he said, citing China’s constitution.
The government is bound to protect national security, the chief executive added, citing the Beijing-imposed national security law and the homegrown Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, known locally as Article 23.
Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong’s mini-constitution in June 2020 following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest. It criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts – broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure. The move gave police sweeping new powers and led to hundreds of arrests amid new legal precedents, while dozens of civil society groups disappeared. The authorities say it restored stability and peace to the city, rejecting criticism from trade partners, the UN and NGOs.
