Councilors to boycott opposition peers' 'illegitimate' meeting

HONG KONG - A group of pro-establishment district councilors plan to boycott a meeting organized by peers from the opposition camp to discuss a proposed national security law for the Hong Kong SAR.

In a joint statement issued on Friday, 84 of Hong Kong's 479 district councilors questioned the legitimacy of the cross-regional joint conference scheduled on Saturday afternoon, saying it is "informal, unlawful, and invalid".

In the statement, the group of councilors said that they would not move to enforce any decisions made at the meeting, claiming the agenda was beyond the powers specified in Hong Kong's District Councils Ordinance.

The statement cited section 61 of the ordinance that says the councils are only empowered to advise the government on "matters affecting the well-being of people in the district" and "the provision and use of public facilities and services within the district".

The councilors said that the ordinance does not confer district chairs the right to hold cross-regional meetings.

They called on Hong Kong's Home Affairs Bureau to follow up on the issues raised on the legality of the meeting.

On Friday, the Home Affairs Bureau said in a statement its staff will not attend the "legally invalid" meeting, or offer any support.

The Hong Kong government has urged councilors to focus on livelihood issues and give advice on district affairs from a pragmatic perspective, the Home Affairs Bureau said.