September set for bill consultation
( 2003-07-24 09:26) (China Daily HK Edition)
The stage has been set for September to see the reopening of public
consultations on the national security bill.
A new security secretary to replace Regina Ip will soon be appointed to
explain the government's position and the way forward more fully.
This is the hope of the Legislative Council Bills Committee, which reconvened
Wednesday in the wake of its completion of examination of the bill, clause by
clause, late in June.
The meeting was the first following the government's withdrawal of the second
reading of the bill, originally set for July 9 and after Ip's shock resignation
on July 16.
Ip, who will leave her job Friday, did not attend the meeting, nor did
Secretary for Constitutional Affairs Stephen Lam, the caretaker security chief.
Acting Permanent Secretary for Security Timothy Tong represented the government.
Tong told legislators that the revised proposal would reflect government
concessions following massive public demonstrations on July 1.
"We will call this a consultation document and we plan to release it in
September," he said.
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