Security chief condemns Ming Pao's piece on Article 23 as malicious

Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung strongly condemned the "malicious" headline and the "misleading" article published by Ming Pao on Thursday concerning Article 23.

His comments followed the completion of the scrutinization of the draft legislation by the bills committee on Wednesday.

The concerned article, published on the A3 page of the paper, mentioned in the headline as well as the content, that the Article 23 amendments raised by the government included strengthening media regulations, and four categories of offenses would be subject to extradition to the mainland for trial.

Tang said the news piece could lead to misunderstandings and unnecessary public attention regarding Article 23, as well as giving the wrong impression to the public that the legislation targets media and suspects would be extradited to mainland China for trial.

The security chief said some of the content is "false and incorrect," reiterating that the draft legislation does not mention the media and that all local offenses will be handled within Hong Kong.

He also criticized the article stating that it has undermined the credibility of Ming Pao in the media sector, despite the paper having issued a correction and clarification on its online platform.

Ming Pao acknowledged the inaccuracy of the headline and expressed deep apologies for the confusion the article may have caused.

Tang hopes that Ming Pao would get back on track and ensure that future reports concerning Article 23 would be fair and just.