Government's New Framework
Most people are insensitive to terrorist threat, and often do not realise the danger is so close until after a large-scale terrorist attack happens.
The 2019 riots exposed how close Hong Kong had come to experiencing bombings in crowded areas. Court records reveal the scope: secondary school radicals manufacturing TATP explosives in a Tsim Sha Tsui guesthouse ("Returning Valiant" case), three separate factions plotting December bomb attacks in Wan Chai during a Civil Human Rights Front march ("Dragon-slaying" case), and ongoing trials for alleged hospital and border checkpoint bombing plans.
The government's response has been swift and systematic. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced a "three-tier prevention framework" in last year's Policy Address, creating new bureaucratic machinery across government departments specifically designed to coordinate counter-terrorism.
Tier 1 establishes Lee's own Counter-Terrorism Steering Group at the top. Tier 2 places operational coordination under the Secretary for Security's Counter-Terrorism Coordination Group. Tier 3 deploys seven interdepartmental working groups to execute counter-terror work at bureau and departmental levels.
The framework extends beyond traditional security boundaries. Home and Youth Affairs Bureau now handles counter-terrorism public education; Health Bureau, Education Bureau, and Labour and Welfare Bureau require medical personnel, teachers, and social workers to monitor and report suspected terror activity; Commerce and Economic Development Bureau tightens import-export controls on materials that could be weaponized.
Recent Drills and Global Context
On August 13, Lee's steering group held its inaugural meeting to assess "local and global threat trends". The meeting directed bureaux and departments to stage a large-scale counter-terrorism exercise, codenamed "BRAVELIGHT," which took place on August 28 at Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, simulating attacks on critical infrastructure.
Hong Kong has always had good law and order, and until the outbreak of the black riots in 2019, there were no cases of terrorist attacks in Hong Kong for many years. However, the global situation is turbulent, and terrorist attacks have broken out in various places almost every day in recent years. In addition to attacks launched by Islamic radical groups, far-right forces have also begun to launch attacks. The December 20, 2024 Magdeburg Christmas market attack in Germany—where a car plowed into crowds, killing six and injuring over 200—demonstrated how far-right extremism now complements traditional Islamist threats. China has also become a target. In October last year, the Baloch Liberation Army of Pakistan claimed responsibility for a suicide attack near Karachi airport that killed two Chinese nationals working on Pakistan's nuclear project and injured others in a convoy of Chinese engineers and investors.
The historical precedent offers little comfort. Terrorism as a systematic tool emerged from the French Revolution's Reign of Terror (March 1793 to July 1794), when Jacobin authorities executed thousands of political dissidents, nobles, clergy, and ordinary citizens. German-American scholar Walter Laqueur's definition remains authoritative: terrorism is the unlawful use of violence against innocent civilians to achieve political ends—a strategy that weaponizes fear to coerce state behavior.
Li Dongyan, a research fellow at the Institute of World Economics and Politics under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, identifies three characteristics of terrorism: no fixed operational pattern, instrumental violence targeting political objectives, and fusion of causes with emotions like "hatred," "grievance," "frustration," and "resistance."
Why Past Safety Means Nothing
These features reveal terrorism as an asymmetric tool—the weak attacking the strong to erode advantages instead of conventional confrontation. Applied to Hong Kong's case,
the city's previous security record—no local terror cases for years before 2019—provides no guarantee of future immunity. In an era of acute geopolitical conflict, Hong Kong's strategic importance makes it a potential target for forces, both external and local radicals, seeking to pressure Beijing indirectly.
Hong Kong authorities maintain the city faces a "moderate" terrorist threat—meaning attacks are possible even without specific intelligence identifying Hong Kong as a target. The three-tier framework and regular exercises like "BRAVELIGHT" represent acknowledgment that prevention requires constant vigilance, not past performance.
Lo Wing‑hung
Bastille Commentary
** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **
In a series of blistering statements,The Hong Kong Office for Safeguarding National Security (OSNS) has drawn a red line in the sand for anyone trying to weaponize the city’s recent misfortunes. The message is crystal clear and ominous: If you use disaster to sow chaos in Hong Kong, they will hunt you down—no matter where on Earth you try to hide.
On December 3, an OSNS spokesperson doubled down. While the HKSAR government and local citizens were racing to save lives following the tragedy at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, a shadow game was already in play. The office accuses a "small group of external hostile forces" of looting a burning house. Under the guise of petitioning for the people, these actors are dusting off the old playbooks from the "extradition bill protests". They are activating agents, sabotaging relief efforts, and desperately trying to reignite the "Black Riots" memories. The verdict? Their actions are despicable enough to be universally condemned.
To drive the point home, the OSNS fired off three consecutive warning shots to overseas antagonists and anti-China disruptors:
First, we solemnly warn hostile foreign forces and anti-China disrupters that their actions of creating chaos and disorder in Hong Kong are intolerable.
Second, we solemnly warn hostile foreign forces and anti-China disrupters that their actions of adding fuel to the fire will inevitably bring disastrous consequences to themselves.
Third, we solemnly warn hostile foreign forces and anti-China disrupters that the long arm of the law will catch up with them.
The OSNS is keeping receipts. Every word and every action used to disrupt Hong Kong goes on the permanent record, and culprits will be pursued for life. "Anyone who breaks the law," the office warns, there is no sanctuary. Whether you are hiding across the ocean or taking refuge in Taiwan, severe legal punishment is inevitable.
Why is the OSNS speaking up now? Read between the lines, and you see three strategic pivots.
First, this isn’t hypothetical; they believe the foreign interference is already happening. Second, the crosshairs are locked on external forces, with a pointed finger specifically at those hiding in Taiwan. And third, it’s a preemptive strike against anyone overseas dreaming of stirring up another color revolution. The warning is blunt: Distance is not a defense.
Opportunists, Grifters, and Organized Lies
Take a look at the chatter exploding across the internet, and the opposing voices generally fall into distinct camps.
First, you have the fair critics. There is plenty of commentary that, while critical of the SAR government, remains objective. These observers stick to the facts disclosed by official investigations rather than drifting into malicious fantasy. This is a natural, human reaction to a "disaster of the century." And the smart money says the SAR government will take this advice to heart and improve.
Then come the fame vampires. When disaster struck, the opportunists came out of the woodwork. Look at "internet celebrity" Kenny, arrested on December 3 after cursing the Tai Po fire victims online for having "heavy sins." It was a blatant, tasteless grab for traffic, and it landed him in handcuffs for sedition. Then there are the exiled influencers abroad, wantonly bashing the SAR government while coincidentally begging people to subscribe to their Patreon accounts. The hustle is obvious: They are monetizing misery to please their financiers.
Finally, there is the organized sedition. Beyond the grifters, we are seeing waves of calculated propaganda. These aren't just complaints; they are fabrications designed to smear the SAR government and attack the Central system. Rumor mills are churning out wild stories linking material suppliers to the families of Central leaders—plots that are total fiction. It’s as if they believe overthrowing the Central government provides immunity from fire physics. Do massive fires not happen in Western democracies? The logic is broken, but in the heat of a disaster, it’s a potent recipe for inciting public rage.
Sniper Attacks From The Shadows
The temperature on these seditious campaigns was rising fast until the Police National Security Department stepped in. Once they acted, the local noise quieted down—but the overseas attacks only intensified. It raises a suspicious question: Is there a coordinated machine working behind the scenes to sustain sniper attacks against the SAR government? The narrative is set in stone: Whatever the government does is wrong. Before a single investigator has arrived on the scene, the instigators are already screaming for heads to roll.
Here is the bottom line. The OSNS isn’t pointing fingers at external forces for sport; they are firing warning shots because they see the smoke rising. We need to be sharper than ever. Don't let external opposing forces play you for a fool, twisting a tragic fire into a tool for subverting the local government—or even the Central government itself.
Lo Wing-hung
