Police chief says security risks persist in Hong Kong
Bastillepost · 1 SOURCES1 day ago6 MIN
Summary
Hong Kong Police Commissioner Joe Chow Yat-ming (周一鳴) said the city’s overall social atmosphere was becoming calmer after the conclusion of a major national security case involving the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China. Speaking to reporters after a police passing-out parade on Saturday, he said that did not mean national security risks had disappeared and described the situation as one with undercurrents still present. Chow said a small number of people were still seeking to exploit a peaceful social environment to incite others and make what he called baseless smears against the central government or the Hong Kong government. He also addressed questions on court exhibits including the Pillar of Shame and on whether public assemblies remained possible under the post-national security law environment
Key Points
- The Hong Kong Alliance incitement to subvert state power case concluded days earlier, with three former office-bearers jailed and the group fined HK$1.5 million
- Former chairperson Lee Cheuk-yan, former vice-chairperson Albert Ho Chun-yan, and former vice-chairperson Chow Hang-tung received prison terms ranging from five years two months to seven years three months
- Chow said the end of that major case had helped make Hong Kong’s broader social atmosphere more peaceful, but warned security threats had not vanished
- On exhibits such as the Pillar of Shame, he said legal procedures had not yet formally dealt with them and the court would handle them according to law
- Asked about rallies and marches, Chow said public activities must be notified to police under the Public Order Ordinance and would be assessed case by case
Why It Matters
Chow’s remarks indicate that even as the authorities describe society as calmer, policing and official scrutiny of speech and public activities will remain closely tied to national security considerations. For Hong Kong residents, that means future assemblies and political expression are likely to continue being judged through a combined lens of national security, public safety and public rights rather than by any single bright-line rule