Civil servants refusing to swear oath may face dismissal: HKSAR gov't official

HONG KONG -- A civil servant who refuses to take an oath or sign a declaration or ignores the requirement may be dismissed according to relevant regulations, an official of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said on Monday.

Patrick Nip, secretary for the civil service of the HKSAR government, said civil servants employed on or after July 1 this year are required to make a declaration that they will uphold the Basic Law of the HKSAR, bear allegiance to the HKSAR and be responsible to the HKSAR government. So far over 3,000 civil servants have signed the declaration since the requirement was introduced in October.

As for serving civil servants, the Civil Service Bureau has decided to require all of them to take an oath or sign a declaration. The HKSAR government will introduce the relevant arrangement in January.

Nip also said training in state affairs among civil servants has been stepped up significantly in recent years. He said the bureau has forged cooperation with nine mainland education institutions for the training, and more Hong Kong civil servants will be able to receive the training in the mainland in the future.