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Commenting on Macao's announcement that it will legislate its Basic Law Article 23, a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government spokesman said today (October 22):
"The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government notes that the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Government has just put forward a draft bill to legislate its Basic Law Article 23 (BL23) for public consultation. Legislation under MSAR's Basic Law is entirely an internal matter for the MSAR.
The HKSAR has a constitutional duty to enact laws in accordance with the HKSAR Basic Law to protect national security. At the present stage, the HKSAR Government has no plan to embark on the BL23 legislative work. The most pressing commitments of the Government are to tackle economic and people's livelihood issues.
In considering Hong Kong's BL23 legislative exercise in future, the HKSAR Government will certainly communicate with all sectors of the community, with a view to securing its understanding and consensus on the future legislative proposals."
Ends/Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Issued at HKT 15:47
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