Hong Kong authorities will not “draw a line” on who is eligible for a rehabilitation programme for those arrested during the 2019 anti-government protests, the security minister has said, while defending the decision to keep the project a secret for two years to prevent bullying.
Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said on Sunday that a special rehabilitation programme run by the Security Bureau for people arrested in connection with the 2019 unrest had been ongoing for the past one to two years.
“We hope to offer rehabilitation opportunities to anyone who committed inappropriate acts in the protests,” he said in a televised interview.
“We will not draw a line [on the eligibility] and hope to welcome anyone who is interested.”
But he also cautioned that authorities would still “act in accordance with the law” when handling arrestees with clear evidence pointing to their alleged crimes.
Tang previously revealed that the project aimed to help about 7,000 such arrestees who had not yet been prosecuted.
He said the programme involved organised trips to mainland China for participants to have a better understanding of the country, career planning services and internship opportunities, including those in government departments.
