‘Patriots only’ MPs take oath

Lawmakers in Hong Kong's new "patriots only" legislature swore oaths of allegiance yesterday as it sat for the first time following a new selection process that barred the city's traditional democracy opposition.

In a ceremony laden with symbolism reflecting Hong Kong's new political realities, 90 lawmakers took their oaths in the chamber where the city's traditional emblem had been replaced by China's.

The loyalty oaths were overseen by city leader Carrie Lam whose administration no longer needs to face any meaningful opposition from a once boisterous legislature now stacked with loyalists for the next four years.

China has remoulded Hong Kong in its own authoritarian image after huge and sometimes violent democracy protests swept the financial hub in 2019. A national security law has criminalised much dissent while new laws were passed to purge from public office anyone deemed unpatriotic.

Elections under these new rules were held last month for the legislature.

All candidates were vetted for their political loyalty and only 20 of the 90 seats were directly elected, while the rest are chosen by pro-Beijing committees.

Most of Hong Kong's best known democracy activists are in jail, have fled overseas or left politics since Beijing's crackdown began.

The oath taking ceremony comes as another news media shut down its operations yesterday.

Journalists from Hong Kong's CitizenNews decried plummeting press freedoms, saying they no longer felt safe to publish after a rival outlet's staff were arrested for "sedition".

CitizenNews is the third media company to stop publishing as Beijing oversees a sweeping crackdown on dissent.

On their final day, reporters made clear their decision was fuelled by fears caused by a national security police raid last week on Stand News. Stand News closed last week after seven current and former members were arrested for their reporting.

Outspoken tabloid Apple Daily collapsed last year after its assets were frozen and key leaders arrested.

"We have been trying our best not to violate any laws but we can no longer see clearly the lines of law enforcement and we can no longer feel safe to work," CitizenNews co-founder Chris Yeung, a former president of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, told reporters.

"Journalists are also human beings with families and friends," he added.

"Can we work on some 'safe news'? I don't even know what is 'safe news'," chief editor Daisy Li, also a former HKJA president, told reporters.