Hong Kong’s security chief has lambasted wanted activist Ted Hui for urging a boycott of the upcoming legislative elections, warning that encouraging blank ballots may violate the city’s national security law.
Talking to journalists on Thursday, after an event promoting national security education in kindergartens, Secretary for Security Chris Tang listed the charges the self-exiled activist faces in Hong Kong. These included an arrest warrant issued by the city’s anti-graft watchdog over his calls for a boycott of the 2021 Legislative Council (LegCo) elections.
“It’s your own business that you’re wanted for breaking the law, but you still want others to follow your example. I hope everyone can see the truth and not be deceived by him into engaging in illegal acts,” Tang said, referring to Hui.
He warned that Hui’s remarks could violate national security laws and the Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Conduct) Ordinance.
‘Sham election’
Hui, who was granted asylum in Australia in August, called the December legislative race “a sham election utterly detached from the public” and said it “deserves to be boycotted.”
“If citizens find even boycotting too much trouble, perhaps simply ignoring it altogether better reflects Hong Kongers’ true sentiments,” he wrote in a Facebook post on Saturday.
Hui is among 13 overseas activists wanted by the Hong Kong government with bounties of HK$1 million each, facing charges of inciting secession, subversion, and foreign collusion.
He wrote the post a day after the two-week nomination period for LegCo candidates for the December elections – the second polls held after Beijing overhauled the city’s electoral system – began.
The first “patriots only” LegCo term had its final meeting last week.
The seventh LegCo took office in January 2022, after Beijing imposed an electoral overhaul in 2021 to ensure only “patriots” could hold power in Hong Kong. It became the first post-1997 legislature without a single opposition lawmaker.
‘Authorised absence’ denied
Separately, the Civil Service Bureau has denied granting civil servants “authorised absences” to attend two events to support the legislative elections.
The Hong Kong Civil Servants General Union previously told its members that they would be granted special leave if they took part.
It also said that the names of participating members would be passed on to the chief executive so that he might know that the government employees supported the authorities.
The bureau reportedly told the union that authorised absences would only apply to circumstances listed under the Civil Service Regulations and that civil servants should participate in election campaigns outside working hours, in their own capacity, without using public resources.
According to the bureau, the government has never required civil servants to submit their names for attending canvassing events.
