HONG KONG, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 2.93 million Hong Kong residents have signed a petition in support of the national security legislation during an eight-day campaign across Hong Kong, the organizer announced on Monday.
"Through the petition we hope to express the Hong Kong residents' full support for the correct decision" on establishing and improving at the state level the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to safeguard national security, one of the initiators of the campaign, Tam Yiu-chung, said at a press conference on Monday.
The decision by the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, was approved on Thursday as deputies to the 13th NPC voted overwhelmingly for it.
During the petition campaign in Hong Kong, which was launched on May 24 and concluded on Sunday, nearly 1.84 million signatures have been collected at the street stands and another 1.09 million people have signed the petition online.
The petition was launched by a newly established organization named United Front Supporting National Security Legislation.
According to the organization, 2,074 people from all walks of life in the Hong Kong society have joined the organization as co-sponsors, with 1,023 groups from various sectors becoming supportive groups.
During the petition campaign, they set up more than 5,400 street stands across Hong Kong to collect public signatures and 25,000 people volunteered to work at these street stands.
"We saw Hong Kong residents, many of them young people, enthusiastically participated in the petition," Tam said, adding that the large number of participants has fully reflected the strong aspiration of Hong Kong residents for the national security legislation.
The organization handed in the petition to the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government (LOCPG) in the HKSAR on Monday afternoon.
As he received the petition, Director of the LOCPG in HKSAR Luo Huining said the large number of participants in the petition has fully demonstrated that the national security legislation is a popular and imperative move that meets the aspiration of Hong Kong residents.
The national security legislation will prevent, stop and punish acts and activities endangering national security, safeguard Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability, more effectively protect the legitimate rights and interests of Hong Kong residents, and ensure the steady and enduring growth of the cause of "one country, two systems," Luo said.
Luo refuted sensational rumors that Hong Kong residents will lose the freedoms of speech, press and assembly and will be arrested for traveling abroad and dining with foreigners after the legislation, saying that these rumors deliberately confused the mass residents' legitimate rights with the very few crimes jeopardizing national security in a bid to create terror and stir up hatred.
He also stressed that the threat of sanctions by the United States revealed that the U.S. doesn't care about Hong Kong's future, but uses it as a pawn to contain China's development. This exactly underscores the urgency of opposing external interference with the national security legislation, he said. Enditem
