Hong Kong’s security chief has warned he will take down anyone who endangers national security, while also slamming an embattled press group for lacking credibility ahead of an already delayed leadership election.
Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said on Friday that the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) was “not a statutory organisation” and that candidates for its executive committee reportedly included no representatives from mainstream local media outlets, undermining its legitimacy.
“All the candidates this time are reportedly from foreign media, so-called free media, or online media. There is not a single person from Hong Kong’s mainstream media,” he said. “How can it call itself the Hong Kong Journalists Association?”
He also accused the group of running a “black box” election, saying it had neither published the names of candidates nor disclosed the final list of those elected.
Tang said the association developed a “tainted record” during the 2019 anti-government protests, accusing it of having “shielded rioters”, adopting a biased stance and counting among its ranks members who repeatedly broke the law.
He also accused the group of misleading the public over the national security trial of former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying by claiming it was a press freedom issue, when judges had ruled Lai was guilty of colluding with foreign forces and that the case had “nothing to do with press freedom”.
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