The Federal Government has warned Hong Kong-bound travellers of a new national security law that went into effect in HK over the weekend.
The new Safeguarding National Security law, which was put in force at midnight on 23 March, “has strict laws on national security that can be interpreted broadly”, says the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
“You could break the laws without intending to and be detained without charge and denied access to a lawyer,” DFAT says on its Smartraveller website.
“We continue to advise exercise a high degree of caution.
“The 2024 Safeguarding National Security Law and the 2020 National Security Law may be interpreted broadly.
“The laws could be applied to activities that occurred outside Hong Kong, including social media posts. You could break the law without intending to. You may be at increased risk of detention.
“The Australian Government can’t intervene in the Hong Kong judicial process. Denial of entry to Hong Kong is also possible.”
The United Kingdom has issued similar advice to travellers in an update from the UK Foreign Office, while Taiwan has also urged its citizens to exercise caution in HK.
According to Reuters, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said the law “accomplished a historic mission, living up to the trust placed in us by the Central (Chinese) Authorities”.
However, the United States is worried that the law could weaken the city’s independence and harm its status as a global business centre.
But Hong Kong authorities have ”strongly condemned such political manoeuvres with skewed, fact-twisting, scaremongering and panic-spreading remarks”, Reuters reported.
Hong Kong remains by and large a safe place to travel. According to DFAT, “there’s little violent crime” in HK, but it advises travellers to “take care of your belongings, especially in crowded places”.
Australian travellers don’t require a tourist visa if they are staying for less than 90 days.
The Hong Kong Government dropped its compulsory mask rule in March last year and followed that up with a series of initiatives to bring tourists back to the special administrative region of China.
