BEIJING: China's rubber-stamp legislature has made disrespecting the national anthem a criminal offence punishable by up to three years in prison. The law will also apply in Hong Kong and Macau but with punishments limited to 15 days. The legislature also moved to apply a separate, recently passed law on the national anthem to Hong Kong and Macau, semiautonomous regions with separate legal systems. Pro-democracy activists and lawmakers fear a national anthem law could be used to undermine freedom of speech in Hong Kong. The National Anthem Law, which came into effect in October, stated that playing the anthem on occasions deemed improper, including funerals, or changing its wording or presenting it in a disrespectful manner could be punished with 15 days in detention.

Source: Bangkok Post November 04, 2017 08:37 UTC