​A spokesman for the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau issued the following statement today (May 23).
The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, met with the Deputy Consul-General of the United Kingdom (UK) in Hong Kong (the Consul-General is not in Hong Kong today) this afternoon on the incident regarding the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (ETO) in London. Mr Yau reiterated the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government's concern about the incident, especially the death of a person who was arrested by the UK Police and reportedly a UK immigration officer, and demanded the UK side to give an open account of the incident as soon as possible to let the public know the truth and prevent unwarranted speculation. Mr Yau also reiterated that the UK should fairly handle the matter, protect the legitimate rights and interests of the arrestees, and ensure the normal operation of the ETO.
Mr Yau stressed again that the duties of ETOs are to maintain close liaison with interlocutors in the local government, business, think tanks and various sectors, with a view to enriching bilateral ties in different areas such as trade, investment, arts and culture, enhancing local people and enterprises' knowledge of Hong Kong's unique strengths, and promoting the economic and trade interests of Hong Kong.
As part of their routine work in discharging the abovementioned duties, ETOs organise a wide range of activities and make security arrangements to ensure their smooth proceedings. ETOs also co-ordinate and arrange duty visits by HKSAR officials. To ensure smooth and safe visits by HKSAR officials, where necessary, ETOs will arrange local security companies to provide security services and co-ordinate transport arrangements for the visits. Besides, ETOs also make appropriate security arrangements to ensure the safety of their office premises and staff. All ETO activities have been conducting in accordance with law. The UK government is obliged to ensure the normal work and activities of the ETO are free from interruption and conducted in an orderly manner.
Follow this news feed: East Asia