Press pact: Secretary for Commerce, Industry & Technology Joseph Wong says proposals to stop magazines from publishing indecent and obscene articles will be ready in the coming months.

Secretary for Commerce, Industry & Technology Joseph Wong says proposals to stop magazines from publishing indecent and obscene articles will be ready in the coming months.

Speaking after meeting the Performing Artistes Guild today, Mr Wong said a review on the Control of Indecent & Obscene Articles Ordinance, particularly the penalty provision, will be conducted to see if revision is needed to either increase penalties or boost the deterrent effect.

He pledged concrete proposals will be forwarded to the public and lawmakers for comment in the next few months, and they will not hinder press freedom.

"What we are talking about here is the question of very serious infringement against privacy. I cannot really bring myself to understand why taking a picture of a certain lady changing clothes is in conflict with the very valued principles of freedom of speech.

"What we want to do is ensure every individual in Hong Kong will have their privacy respected, that our publications will also respect the privacy of individuals and not take any action such as covert surveillance to take the most secret and most private pictures of individuals and have them printed in publications for everyone to see."