Secretary for Civil Service Patrick Nip announced that the authorities will issue a notice to each department on 18 October 2020 to require all civil servants who joined the government on or after 1 July to sign a statement or take an oath to confirm they will uphold the Basic Law and swear allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
The new requirement came after dozens of civil servants were arrested in connection with last year’s anti-extradition bill protests. Last month, Nip revealed that 46 government staffers have been suspended for allegedly taking part in “illegal activities”.
Subversion is now criminalised in Hong Kong under the Beijing-imposed national security law, which also bans secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts, which are broadly defined to include disruption to public transport and other infrastructure.
