HK to follow-up Snowden US cyber warfare claims
Source: Agencies |
01:29 UTC+8 June 16, 2013
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HONG Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying has broken his silence on the controversy surrounding US whistleblower Edward Snowden, who is hiding out in the city.
Three days after former CIA employee Snowden, 29, dropped the bombshell that Hong Kong and Chinese mainland had been targets of Washington's top secret global cyber-spying program in an interview in Hong Kong, Leung pledged the government would "follow up any incidents related to the privacy or other rights of the institutions or people in Hong Kong being violated."
The statement said: "When the relevant mechanism is activated, the Hong Kong SAR government will handle the case of Mr Snowden in accordance with the laws and established procedures of Hong Kong.
"Meanwhile, the government will follow up on any incidents related to privacy or other rights of the institutions or people in Hong Kong being violated."
Hundreds of protesters staged a rally in rain-hit Hong Kong yesterday to urge the city's government not to extradite former spy Edward Snowden, and slam the United States for its surveillance programs.
Snowden has gone to ground in the city after blowing the lid on the US's vast electronic surveillance operation and has vowed to fight any extradition request.
The city's first major demonstration on the issue saw protesters march to the US consulate holding banners and shouting "Protect Snowden," "No Extradition" and "Respect Hong Kong Law." Many blew their whistles loudly and wore masks with Snowden's face on it.
One protester held a sign of US President Barack Obama's "Hope" poster, edited to show the leader as a spy wearing large headphones. Another read: "Betray Snowden, Betray freedom."
The US has launched a criminal investigation after Snowden leaked details of Washington's secret Internet and telephone surveillance programmes.
Protesters handed a letter to the US consulate addressed to Consul General Steve Young, which said: "For many years, the US State Department has publicly supported the cause of Internet freedom and criticized other governments for conducting cyber attacks, surveillance and censorship.
"We now understand, through recent revelations, that the US government has been operating their own blanket surveillance systems and allegedly conducting cyber warfare against Hong Kong. This is a violation of Human Rights of people of Hong Kong and around the world."
Snowden told the South China Morning Post newspaper this week that there have been more than 61,000 NSA hacking operations globally, that can yield access to hundreds of thousands of individual computers.
There were hundreds of targets in Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, according to Snowden.
Hong Kong has an extradition treaty with the US. So far the US has not filed a formal extradition request.
Three days after former CIA employee Snowden, 29, dropped the bombshell that Hong Kong and Chinese mainland had been targets of Washington's top secret global cyber-spying program in an interview in Hong Kong, Leung pledged the government would "follow up any incidents related to the privacy or other rights of the institutions or people in Hong Kong being violated."
The statement said: "When the relevant mechanism is activated, the Hong Kong SAR government will handle the case of Mr Snowden in accordance with the laws and established procedures of Hong Kong.
"Meanwhile, the government will follow up on any incidents related to privacy or other rights of the institutions or people in Hong Kong being violated."
Hundreds of protesters staged a rally in rain-hit Hong Kong yesterday to urge the city's government not to extradite former spy Edward Snowden, and slam the United States for its surveillance programs.
Snowden has gone to ground in the city after blowing the lid on the US's vast electronic surveillance operation and has vowed to fight any extradition request.
The city's first major demonstration on the issue saw protesters march to the US consulate holding banners and shouting "Protect Snowden," "No Extradition" and "Respect Hong Kong Law." Many blew their whistles loudly and wore masks with Snowden's face on it.
One protester held a sign of US President Barack Obama's "Hope" poster, edited to show the leader as a spy wearing large headphones. Another read: "Betray Snowden, Betray freedom."
The US has launched a criminal investigation after Snowden leaked details of Washington's secret Internet and telephone surveillance programmes.
Protesters handed a letter to the US consulate addressed to Consul General Steve Young, which said: "For many years, the US State Department has publicly supported the cause of Internet freedom and criticized other governments for conducting cyber attacks, surveillance and censorship.
"We now understand, through recent revelations, that the US government has been operating their own blanket surveillance systems and allegedly conducting cyber warfare against Hong Kong. This is a violation of Human Rights of people of Hong Kong and around the world."
Snowden told the South China Morning Post newspaper this week that there have been more than 61,000 NSA hacking operations globally, that can yield access to hundreds of thousands of individual computers.
There were hundreds of targets in Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, according to Snowden.
Hong Kong has an extradition treaty with the US. So far the US has not filed a formal extradition request.
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