The Hong Kong SAR government said it has no plan to initiate the legislative work for Article 23 of the Basic Law.

A government spokesman said they have noted that Macao SAR government has put forward for consultation a draft bill to legislate its Basic Law Article 23, but added that such legislation is entirely an internal matter for the Macao SAR.

"The Hong Kong SAR has a constitutional duty to enact laws in accordance with the HKSAR Basic Law to protect national security. At the present stage, the HKSAR government has no plan to embark on the Basic Law Article 23 legislative work. The most pressing commitments of the government are to tackle economic and people's livelihood issues," the spokesman said.

The spokesman added that the government will communicate with all sectors of the community to secure their understanding and consensus on the future legislative proposals.

Hong Kong legislators agreed that the SAR's focus at this time should be on economic issues.

Former Secretary for Security Regina Ip said there is no pressing need to legislate Article 23.

Liberal Party legislator Miriam Lau said she expected the government to tackle the financial crisis instead of legislating the article.

Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong legislator Lau Kong-wah, also an Executive Councillor, said the government will need to launch an extensive public consultation campaign to ensure community members have a clear understanding of the law if it decides to legislate Article 23.

(HK Edition 10/23/2008 page1)