Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government plans to consult the public later this year on ways to amend the Control of Obscene and Indecent Articles Ordinance, HKSAR government Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Frederick Ma said on Wednesday.

Ma told lawmakers that the proposed amendments might include the development of criteria for assessing the content of an article and the assessment system itself, stressing the enforcement of the ordinance rests with the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority (TELA), Police and the Customs and Excise Department.

In the past three years, the departments instituted 1,876 prosecutions and secure 1,829 convictions, of which 1,198 prosecutions and 1,178 convictions involved possession of obscene or indecent articles for publication, Ma said.

Given the vast volume and transient nature of Internet-based information, Ma said, TELA and Police adopt a complaint-driven approach in dealing with obscene and indecent online content. In the past three years, the departments instituted five prosecutions against publication of obscene or indecent articles over the Internet and all were convicted.

"All agencies will take enforcement action in a lawful, conscious and fair manner," Ma said, noting "all prosecutions initiated by the police will be based on sufficient evidence to support the charge."

"It will also be ensured the prosecution is in compliance with the statutory requirements and procedures, and is administered in accordance with the principle of equality before the law," he added.

(Xinhua News Agency, March 6, 2008)