Nearly 2.93m Hong Kong residents sign petition supporting national security legislation

HONG KONG -- 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 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.