Leung cranks up passports heat on department heads

Civil servants who are department heads should give up their foreign passports or refuse to be promoted, former chief executive Leung Chun-ying said.

Writing on Facebook on the topic for two days in a row, he said civil servants unwilling to "sacrifice" their foreign nationality are unlikely to make any sacrifices for the motherland.

It would be "the best national security education" if directorate-level officials could give up their foreign citizenship voluntarily, he said, adding that it's unnecessary for civil servants to keep an "emergency exit" for themselves given that it has been 25 years since the handover.

"With international relations deteriorating in recent years, why do they want to head a government department while refusing to give up their foreign citizenship?" he said, adding that their citizenship is usually of western countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and the United States, which do not have good relationships with China.

"Is it even possible for those officials with foreign nationality to say 'my allegiance is to China, not to these western countries' or 'my allegiance is to both China and these western countries'?" he said.

Some US politicians have urged businessmen not to come to Hong Kong to attend financial summits, Leung said.

"What can we do if politicians in the west write to officials with foreign nationality to persuade them or threaten them with their own national security laws?" he said.

"How can subordinate civil servants pledge allegiance to our country when their leaders behave like this? he added.

Leung's comment came after Kingsley Wong Kwok, who represents the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions in the Legislative Council, said last week that the government could consider banning dual nationality for senior government officials.

Constitutional and mainland affairs chief Erick Tsang Kwok-wai said the government does not plan to change the requirement as all civil servants have to pledge allegiance to the SAR and the Basic Law.

Justin Tong

Top officials yesterday paid their last respects to customs officer Lai Chi-hang, 39, who died inside a capsized speedboat during an anti-smuggling operation that also took the lives of two other officers.

The funeral, which was held with full honors at Universal Funeral Parlor in Hung Hom, was the last for the three victims of the tragedy in January, including Wong Cheuk-bond, 26, and Ng Wing-man, 43, whose funerals were held earlier.

Government leaders, including Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, finance chief Paul Chan Mo-po and justice head Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah attended the funeral.

Lam praised the customs officers for being "fearless and dedicated to serving the public with professionalism," adding she was "profoundly grieved by the unfortunate loss of three customs colleagues."

Also present were senior officials of the disciplinary services, including Customs and Excise Commissioner Hermes Tang Yi-hoi, Police Commissioner Chris Tang Ping-keung and People's Liberation Army representatives.

The Taoist ceremony began at 10.15am, with officials bowing and laying wreaths.

At 11am, Lai's coffin, draped in a SAR flag, was borne out to the hearse by his colleagues. The hearse left the funeral home and took a detour around the Customs Marine Base at Stonecutters Island to allow officers to pay their respects.

Lai was laid to rest in Gallant Garden at 1pm, next to Wong's and Ng's graves, with officers laying white flowers on the coffin.