London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

HK officials stay silent on detentions plan

HK officials stay silent on detentions plan

Democratic Party criticizes Chinese officials for only consulting pro-Beijing people for new security law
Hong Kong officials have refused to comment on a media report that the city will set up special detention facilities to detain indefinitely and interrogate suspects arrested under the coming national security law.

People arrested under Hong Kong’s national security law would be detained in special holding centers for “as long as authorities see fit,” the South China Morning Post reported on Monday, citing sources close to the central government.

One source said the facilities could be similar to the former Victoria Road Detention Centre, known as “white house,” at Mount Davis which was run by the Royal Hong Kong Police Force’s Special Branch under the British colonial government before it was disbanded in 1995.

The source also said in comparison that Singapore could indefinitely detain a suspect under the city-state’s Internal Security Act.

In a media briefing on Tuesday, Chief Executive Carrie Lam declined to comment on the report because the wording of the national security law had not been unveiled. On Wednesday, Security Secretary John Lee also refused to comment on the issue.

“When we implement what will be required, we will basically be doing what the law actually asks us to do. If the current practice satisfies the requirement, then we will be basically carrying out our duties in that way,” Lee said.

“The preparation work is to ensure that police will be able to discharge their functions and responsibilities. As to how we will carry out those functions and responsibilities, first of all, we will have to wait for the details of the provisions.”

Lee said the human rights of those arrested will be protected as the enforcement work relating to the new legislation will comply with existing laws.

Democratic Party lawmaker James To said it would be inhumane if special agents from the mainland could come to Hong Kong and interrogate suspects under torture in special detention facilities.

To said the details of the national security law, which would only be unveiled after it was passed by the National People’s Congress (NPC) standing committee next week, would show that the Hong Kong government was worse than a military junta in the Third World.

To also criticised Chinese officials for only consulting pro-Beijing people in Hong Kong for the national security legislation, instead of having a public consultation.

On Tuesday, officials of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) and the Basic Law Committee held at least 12 closed-door consultative sessions with the pro-Beijing camp at the Liaison Office building in Sai Wan.

Over the weekend, Legislative Council president Andrew Leung met HKMAO chief Xia Baolong in a closed-door meeting in Shenzhen. Leung told Hong Kong media on Monday that he had passed on lawmakers’ views about Beijing’s national security law for Hong Kong during this personal meeting.

Seven Democratic Party legislators wrote Leung a letter and urged him to disclose the content of the meeting. They said it was ridiculous that Leung represented the LegCo to meet Chinese officials but he did not allow lawmakers to debate the law in the chamber.

On Wednesday, Democratic Party lawmaker Helena Wong Pik-wan raised a motion to debate the national security law. However, Leung rejected the suggestion.

Last Saturday, the NPC standing committee decided to hold a special meeting in Beijing from June 28 to 30.

Xinhua News Agency reported on part of the content of the draft law, which mentioned the establishment of a special branch under the Hong Kong Police Force for law enforcement, a special court with judges appointed by the Chief Executive and a National Security Office under Beijing’s direct control in Hong Kong.

However, the summary did not mention anything about special detention facilities and how long a suspect would be detained.

According to Hong Kong’s current law, police can hold suspects usually for no longer than 48 hours before they are released or granted bail for further investigation.

On Monday, Xinhua published an article with a headline “Hong Kong communities hope the national security law to be implemented as early as possible.”

On Tuesday evening, state-owned China Central Television used the same headline in its report and cited comments from Leung Chun-ying, former Hong Kong Chief Executive and a Vice-Chairman of the People’s Political Consultative Conference, and Annie Wu Suk-ching, a pro-Beijing businesswoman.

Both interviewees said they supported the national security legislation.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×