THE Hong Kong Police Force said Monday that it had earlier applied to the court for arrest warrants and put eight persons who allegedly contravened the national security law in Hong Kong on the wanted list. The eight persons are Yam Kevin, Yuan Gong-yi, Kwok Fung-yee, Kwok Wing-hang, Hui Chi-fung, Mung Siu-tat, Lau Cho-dik and Law Kwun-chung, who have absconded overseas. A reward of 1 million H.K. dollars (US$127,635) in respect of each wanted person is being offered by the police to anyone who can provide information on the wanted persons and the related crimes. According to the police, the above-wanted persons committed crimes of endangering national security, repeatedly held public gatherings overseas, advocated “Hong Kong independence,” colluded with anti-China forces, and requested foreign countries to take sanctions or other hostile acts against the country and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The police have mastered the related evidence and will fully investigate it. The police stressed that the national security law in Hong Kong has an extraterritorial effect and conforms to the principles of international law. Thus, the force has the responsibility to pursue in accordance with the law the legal liabilities of the persons who are alleged to have committed an offence contravening the law outside Hong Kong. The police called on the eight wanted people to return to Hong Kong and surrender. A spokesman for the HKSAR government said that it is the constitutional responsibility of the HKSAR to safeguard national security.(Xinhua) | 