First consultation session on National Security bill

The Government tonight began its first consultation session on the proposed National Security Law to gather opinions from different sectors, hours after the bill was introduced. During the session, the Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, had elaborated on the need for the legislation. The Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms Florinda Chan, and the Director for Legal Reform Office, Ms Chu Lam Lam, also gave details of the bill. The session was also attended by the senior officials including the Secretary for Security, Mr Cheong Kuoc Va, the Chief of the Office of the Chief Executive, Mr Ho Veng On, and the Chief of the Office of the Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms Cheong Chui Ling. The targets for tonight’s session were 17 entities with some 80 people, including principal officials of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government, members of the Executive Council, the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the MSAR, the Judicial Council, the Public Prosecutors Council, the Legal Reform Consultative Council, the Macau Lawyers Association, the Macao Basic Law Promotional Association, the media and other parties. The second consultation session will be held tomorrow night, to collect opinions from economic sector. To give the public a better understanding, copies of the proposed law are distributed at the service points of the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau and the Public Service and Information Centre.