HONG KONG: Hong Kong banned a political party which promotes independence on Monday, a first since the city was handed back to China by Britain 21 years ago as Beijing ups pressure on any challenges to its sovereignty. Andy Chan's Hong Kong National Party has now been banned by the city's authoritiesSemi-autonomous Hong Kong enjoys freedoms unseen on the mainland including freedom of expression but the space for political dissent is shrinking in the face of an increasingly assertive China under President Xi Jinping. Police sought a ban in July on the Hong Kong National Party (HKNP), a well-known but small group with a core membership of around a dozen, which promotes the city's independence from China. "I hereby order that the operation or continued operation of the Hong Kong National Party in Hong Kong to be prohibited," a notice from the security minister said on a government website. Activists calling for Hong Kong's independence from China emerged after mass pro-democracy rallies in 2014 failed to win reforms.

Source: Bangkok Post September 24, 2018 02:37 UTC