The Hong Kong government’s new fiscal year national security costs up to 8 billion foreign media: can hire 59,000 public security

On August 10, 2020, the Hong Kong police arrested the founder of Next Media Hong Kong, Lai Chi-ying, his two sons and four senior executives, and searched the headquarters of Next Media for “allegedly violating the Hong Kong version of the National Security Law and colluding with foreign forces”.

(Photo source: Twitter photo) Hong Kong’s Financial Secretary Paul Chan announced the new year’s Budget on the 24th, disclosing for the first Time up to 8 billion Hong Kong dollars for the maintenance of national security “for many years to come”, but did not reveal the detailed breakdown and staffing, triggering external criticism.

Hong Kong current affairs commentator Liu Ruishao analysis, the Hong Kong government announced for the first time the cost of national security figures, intended to intimidate the people of Hong Kong.

According to the provisions of the Hong Kong version of the National Security Law, the government must allocate funds from the general revenue to pay for the expenditure on the maintenance of national security, and is not restricted by the existing legal provisions of Hong Kong.

Article 16 of the National Security Law provides that the Police Department to maintain national security departments can be hired from outside Hong Kong, the United States “Radio Free Asia” (RFA) estimates that if a Shenzhen public security monthly salary starting at about HK$ 11,300, HK$ 8 billion per year can be employed about 59,000 public security.

Hong Kong current affairs commentator Lin He Li also analyzed that because the Hong Kong Police Force National Security Division personnel salaries and other costs should be part of the police force expenses, the $8 billion budget may be mainly paid to Beijing personnel in Hong Kong to rent hotels, salaries and purchase tools, etc., inferring that the department has a lot of people.

Liu Ruishao said that the Chinese Communist Party has never announced the national security expenses, and the annual cost of maintaining stability is higher than the military, and now the Hong Kong government is obviously the concept of the mainland moved to Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong government announced the national security expenses for the first time, is intended to use this to create intimidation to the public.