(TibetanReview.net, Nov06’20) – Residents in Hong Kong now have to be careful about their neighbours, like in mainland China, because the city police had launched a hotline to encourage them to report breaches of the national security law imposed by Beijing earlier this year, reported the bbc.com Nov 5.
The law criminalises secession, subversion and collusion with foreign forces and has led to the silencing of many protesters since it came into force in Jun 2020, the report noted.
Rights groups have expressed concern that the service could be used to target those with opposing political views.
Informers are assured total anonymity and do not have to share their personal details. Residents can send images, audio and video files to the hotline or via the messaging app WeChat, email or text.
It has been made clear that the hotline would not answer calls or provide a response, and that the authorities would not collect any personal information of those who report breaches of the law.
“Informants may use this hotline against people who they dislike or are in a different political camp,” Senior China Researcher at Human Rights Watch, Maya Wang, has told the AFP news agency.
