Lawmakers in Hong Kong's new "patriots only" legislature swore oaths of allegiance on Monday as it sat for the first time following a new selection process that barred the city's traditional democracy opposition.

In a ceremony laden with symbolism reflecting Hong Kong's new political realities, 90 lawmakers took their oaths in the chamber where the city's traditional emblem had been replaced by China's.

The loyalty oaths were overseen by city leader Carrie Lam whose administration no longer needs to face any meaningful opposition from a once boisterous legislature now stacked with loyalists for the next four years.

China has remoulded Hong Kong in its own authoritarian image after huge and sometimes violent democracy protests swept the financial hub in 2019.

A national security law has criminalised much dissent while new laws were passed to purge from public office anyone deemed unpatriotic.

Elections under these new rules were held last month for the legislature.

All candidates were vetted for their political loyalty and only 20 of the 90 seats were directly elected, while the rest are chosen by pro-Beijing committees.

The result is a law-making body that authorities have hailed as being filled with patriots and devoid of disruptive "anti-China" elements.

Only one of the 90 lawmakers who made it through the vetting and got elected identifies as "non-establishment".

But Tik Chi-yuen is not from the city's traditional pro-democracy block.

Most of Hong Kong's best known democracy activists are in jail, have fled overseas or left politics since Beijing's crackdown began.

Monday's ceremony was completed without incident -- a stark contrast to 2016 when six pro-democracy legislators used their oaths to chant slogans or display banners. All those legislators were later disqualified or unseated soon after.

Authoritarian China has portrayed its new political system for Hong Kong as a way to return stability and says pluralism is still tolerated.

Critics, including many western nations, say Beijing has shredded its promise that Hong Kong would keep its liberties and autonomy after its 1997 handover by Britain.

Starry Lee, a legislator and head of Hong Kong's largest pro-Beijing party the DAB, thanked Beijing for "bringing Hong Kong back to the right track and returning stability to the legislature".

"I am excited because Hong Kong has entered a new era when we can get rid of political disputes and join hands to improve the governance," Lee told reporters.

Last week 89 of the 90 lawmakers issued a joint statement supporting the national security police's raid and arrests against pro-democracy online news outlet Stand News.

Tik was the only one who did not sign.

Third Hong Kong news company shutters as media fears grow
Hong Kong (AFP) Jan 3, 2022 - Journalists from Hong Kong's CitizenNews decried plummeting press freedoms as they shut down Monday, saying they no longer felt safe to publish after a rival outlet's staff were arrested for "sedition".

One of the most popular online news outlets in Hong Kong with more than 800,000 social media followers, CitizenNews is the third media outlet to shutter as Beijing oversees a sweeping crackdown on dissent.

The crowdfunded non-partisan platform, founded in 2017 by a group of veteran journalists, made its shock closure announcement on Sunday and said its website would stop updating from midnight Tuesday.

On their final day operating, reporters made clear their decision was fuelled by fears caused by a police raid last week on Stand News.

"We have been trying our best not to violate any laws but we can no longer see clearly the lines of law enforcement and we can no longer feel safe to work," CitizenNews co-founder Chris Yeung, a former president of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, told reporters.

"Journalists are also human beings with families and friends," he added.

Yeung said their newsroom had not been contacted by law enforcement but that they decided to close based on what they saw was happening to the media.

"Can we work on some 'safe news'? I don't even know what is 'safe news'," chief editor Daisy Li, also a former HKJA president, told reporters.

- 'Deeply saddened' -

Hong Kong has long been a regional and international media hub, even as the city's press freedom ranking steadily slipped over the last decade.

But in the last 18 months, unprecedented changes have swept through the industry, primarily targeting local media.

Outspoken tabloid Apple Daily collapsed last year after its assets were frozen and key leaders arrested under a new national security law over the content it published.

Stand News closed last week after seven current and former members were arrested.

The company, its co-founder Chung Pui-kuen and last chief editor Patrick Lam were charged with "conspiracy to publish seditious publications" and were denied bail.

With a few exceptions, remaining local outlets have increasingly toed the official line while new government appointees have turned public broadcaster RTHK into something more closely resembling China's state media.

Many international media outlets still have Asia headquarters in Hong Kong including AFP, Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, the Economist and the Financial Times.

Others such as The New York Times and The Washington Post moved to or opened new Asia offices in South Korea because of the political situation in Hong Kong.

Last month, the Hong Kong administration threatened legal action against The Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times for editorials critical of government policy.

The HKJA said Monday it was "deeply saddened and sorry" to hear of the CitizenNews closure.

"Reputed as Asia's World City, free flow of information and freedom of press are indispensable for Hong Kong," the group wrote.

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Hong Kong independent news outlet shuts down to 'ensure safety'
Hong Kong (AFP) Jan 2, 2022
Hong Kong's CitizenNews announced late Sunday that it will shut down to "ensure the safety of everyone", three days after the city's national security police raided another independent online news outlet over allegations of sedition. CitizenNews, a crowd-funded non-partisan platform founded in 2017 by a group of veteran journalists, is one of the most popular online news outlets in Hong Kong, with more than 800,000 followers across its social media platforms. Over the past year, it had absorbed ... read more