Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak said on Sunday that the government would study the drafting of local laws and regulations to ensure the more effective enforcement of the local national security law – the Law on the Defence of National Security enacted in 2009.
Wong also said that national security and local security are closely interrelated.
Wong made the remarks while speaking to reporters after the opening ceremony of the “National Security Education Exhibition” at the Macau Handover Gifts Museum in Nape.
According to the Macau Post Daily, Wong noted that the Law on the Defence of National Security has been in force for many years, adding that it is merely a framework law on the protection of national security in Macau.
The local Law on the Defence of National Security was enacted based on the Article 23 requirement of the Macau Basic Law.
Wong noted that the mainland currently has more than 190 laws and regulations concerning the safeguarding of national security.
Wong underlined that national security and local security are closed related to each other, adding that the latter only exists in conjunction with the former. He said that local security also helps promote national security, adding that therefore Macau’s security is closely interconnected with the nation’s security as a whole.
Wong noted that the existing Law on the Defence of National Security lists the seven crimes on endangering national security stated by Article 23 of the Macau Basic Law and their penalties.
The seven crimes, according to Article 23 of the Macau Basic Law, are treason, secession, sedition, subversion against the central government, theft of state secrets, political activities by foreign political organisations or bodies, and the establishment of ties by political organisations or bodies in Macau with foreign political organisations or bodies.
Wong said that the local national security law does not specify detailed procedures concerning the enforcement of the law; neither does it mention any specific government entities tasked with enforcing the law. He also noted that the law does not state which specific entity is tasked with launching investigations into suspected crimes endangering national security.
Wong said that therefore there was a need for the local government to draft supplementary laws and regulations which would assist in the enforcement of the local national security law.
Wong also said that the local government did not plan to propose amendments to the existing 15 articles of the Law on the Defence of National Security.
Wong said that instead the local government would study the drafting of supplementary laws and regulations for the local national security law enforcement.
Wong said that the government would announce its proposals concerning the bills and draft regulations related to the enforcement of the local national security law to the public in due course.
According to previous news reports, no one in Macau has so far faced charges based on the Law on the Defence of National Security since its promulgation in 2009.
