Hong Kong launches “Emergency Ordinance” for the first time in half a century

Recently the Nihon Keizai Shimbun Electronic Edition reported the following:

香港、半世紀ぶり「緊急条例」発動　デモでの覆面禁止

中国・台湾

2019/10/4 16:18 (2019/10/5 1:19更新)

【香港=木原雄士】香港政府は4日、行政長官の権限であらゆる規則を適用できる「緊急状況規則条例」を発動すると発表した。これに基づき、デモ参加者が顔を隠すのを禁じる「覆面禁止規則」を5日から適用する。緊急条例は立法会（議会）の手続きを経ずに規則を定める異例のもので、発動は英国統治に対する暴動が起きた1967年以来52年ぶり。民主派の反発は必至だ。

林鄭月娥（キャリー・ラム）行政長官は4日の記者会見で「暴力がエスカレートしている。政府として止める責任がある」と強調した。覆面禁止に違反した場合は、最高で禁錮1年か2万5千香港ドル（約34万円）の罰金が科される。医療目的や宗教上の理由、警察官などが仕事上の必要で顔を覆うのは禁止しない。

緊急条例は英国の植民地時代の1922年にできた。行政長官が緊急事態と判断すれば、集会や通信の制限を含むあらゆる規則を制定できる。民主派団体の民間人権陣線は4日「政府は悪意のある規則を押しつけるために議会を飛ばした」と批判する声明を出した。

政府内には覆面禁止にとどまらず、より踏み込んだ措置が必要との見方もある。夜間の外出禁止令や勾留期間の拡大など、さらなる規制に対する懸念が強まる可能性がある。

香港では「逃亡犯条例」改正案をきっかけにしたデモが4カ月近く続いている。最近のデモ参加者は警察が使う催涙弾への対策や個人の特定を避けるためマスクなどで顔全体を覆う人が多い。親中派などから、覆面の安心感が公共施設の破壊や放火など過激な抗議活動につながっているとの指摘が出ていた。

とりわけ中国建国70年の1日以降、過激なデモが続いており、立法会の新たな会期が始まる16日を待たずに覆面禁止規則を施行する必要があると判断した。政府はこれとは別に、生徒は原則マスクを着用すべきではないとする通達を出した。

若者は警察による実弾発砲などに反発を強めており、覆面禁止だけで過激なデモを抑え込めるかは不透明だ。4日に新界地区で警官隊とデモ隊が衝突し、警官が実弾を発砲した。14歳の少年の左太ももに被弾し、病院に搬送された。意識はあるという。

4日深夜には、香港の鉄道全線が運行を停止した。駅への放火など過激化する抗議活動を受けて運行は困難と判断した。

政府がさらなる強硬策に踏み込めば若者らの反発が強まり、落ち込みの目立つ香港経済への打撃は避けられない。国際社会の批判も高まりつつあり、林鄭氏は難しい決断を迫られる。

Translation

 [Hong Kong = Yuji Kihara] The Hong Kong government announced on the 4th that it would activate the “Emergency Situation Regulations” that could apply all the rules under the authority of the chief executive. Based on this, the “No Masking Rules” would be applied starting on the 5th, prohibiting demonstrators from hiding their faces. The urgent ordinance was an unusual one that established rules without going through legislative (parliamentary) procedures, and it was activated for the first time in 52 years since 1967 when the riots against British rule occurred. Democratic backlash was inevitable.

Chief Executive Lin Zheng Yue (Carrie Lam) stressed at the press conference on the 4th that “violence is escalating. It is the responsible of the government to stop it”. If you violated the masking ban, you might get an imprisonment up to 1 year and be fined HK $ 25,000 (approximately 340,000 yen). It was not prohibited for medical purposes, religious reasons, and also for police officers and others to cover their faces due to working needs.

The urgent ordinance was established in 1922 during the British colonial period. If the chief executive decided that there was an emergency, it could enact all the rules, including restrictions on meetings and communications. The Civil Human Rights Front, a pro-democracy group, issued a statement on the 4th criticizing the government for skipping legislature to force through malicious rules.

There was a view within the government that not only masking was prohibited, but more detailed measures were needed. Concerns about further regulations, such as nighttime bans and extended detention periods might increase.

In Hong Kong, demonstrations triggered by the amendment to the “Fugitive Ordinance” had continued for nearly four months. Many of the recent demonstrators covered their entire faces with masks to prevent tears used by the police and to avoid personal identification. The pro-Chinese group pointed out that the security of the mask was leading to radical protests such as the destruction and arson of public facilities.

In particular, since the first day after the 70^th year of the founding of China, there had been an intense demonstration, and it was determined that the anti-masking rule should be enforced without waiting for the 16th when the new legislative session would begin. Apart from this, the government issued a notice that in principle students should not wear masks.

Young people were strongly opposed to the live-ammunition firing by the police etc., and it was unclear whether radical demonstrations could be suppressed merely by banding the masking. On the 4th, the police and demonstrators collided in the New Territories area, and the police fired live ammunition. A 14-year-old boy was hit at the left thigh and was taken to a hospital. He was consciousness.

At midnight on the 4th, all Hong Kong railway lines stopped operating. Operation was judged difficult due to intensifying protests such as arson to the station.

If the government took further hard-line measures, the rebound of young people could increase, and it might be inevitable that the Hong Kong economy could suffer a sharp decline. The criticism of the international community was growing, and Ms. Lin Zheng was forced to make difficult decisions.

     So, the Hong Kong Government is trying to use suppression to deal with the current political problem in Hong Kong.