Lam defends national security law as 'constitutional'

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Tuesday defended China's new security law for the city as "totally constitutional, legal and reasonable," insisting it would not undermine human rights and freedoms.

She met the media after Hong Kong's government issued the details of Article 43 in the city's national security law on Monday night, which outlines the measures that the police force can take to implement the legislation in the city.

According to the rules, police may be authorized to conduct searches for evidence without a warrant in "exceptional circumstances."

Police may also apply for a warrant that requires a person suspected of violating the national security law to surrender their travel documents, thus restricting them from leaving Hong Kong.

Additionally, under the rules, written notices or restraining orders may be issued to freeze or confiscate property if there are "reasonable grounds" to suspect that the property is related to an offense endangering national security.

Platforms and publishers, as well as internet service providers, may also be ordered to take down electronic messages published that are “likely to constitute an offence endangering national security or is likely to cause the occurrence of an offence endangering national security.”

Individuals who post such messages may also be asked to remove the message, or face similar fines and a jail term of one year.

Critics see the new law as Beijing’s boldest step yet to erase the legal firewall between the former British colony and the mainland’s authoritarian Communist Party system.

Lam stressed the law would "restore stability to Hong Kong," adding she did "not understand why certain foreign countries" had commented on it.

She suggested this could be due to the "the rise of China."