Hong Kong plans to enact a tough new law to block funding to terrorists as part of a global effort to starve them of funding after the September 11 attacks on the United States, a government spokeswoman said on Wednesday.
Under the proposed legislation, people who provide funds or resources to terrorists will face jail terms of up to 14 years, the spokeswoman for the Security Bureau told Reuters.
The government will put the bill to legislators on April 17 and expects the law to come into force by July.
Other details of the proposed bill, including penalties for failure to report money laundering by terrorist groups, are being fine tuned, she added.
The government had said it would draft laws to plug loopholes, for example, the use of legitimate fundraising activities to fund terrorist groups.
The planned law will be in keeping with the UN Security Council resolution 1373 against terrorism adopted in late September, which China is a signatory to.
While Hong Kong is responsible for its internal security, the central government oversees its defense and foreign affairs.
(China Daily February 27, 2002)
