Societies Ordinance
The Societies Ordinance is a piece of primary legislation in Hong Kong. It was enacted in 1911 and has undergone major revisions. The Ordinance regulates incorporated and unincorporated associations of persons (broadly defined as "societies") and requires registrations (unless regulated under a different ordinance or otherwise exempted). In other words, it prohibits informal or secret societies and poses limits to freedom of association. It also prohibits triad societies and modern successor gangs.
| Societies Ordinance | |
|---|---|
| Legislative Council of Hong Kong | |
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| Citation | Cap. 151 |
| Enacted by | Legislative Council of Hong Kong |
| Commenced | 17 November 1911 |
| Legislative history | |
| Introduced by | Registrar General A. W. Brewin |
| First reading | 19 October 1911 |
| Second reading | 16 November 1911 |
| Third reading | 16 November 1911 |
| Amended by | |
| 1915, 1920, 1947, 1949, 1952, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1970, 1976, 1982, 1988, 1988, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1997 | |
| Status: Current legislation | |
| Societies Ordinance | |||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 社團條例 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 社团条例 | ||||||||||
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The legislative history of the Societies Ordinance is similar to the Public Order Ordinance. Their roots can be traced to the draconian anti-communist law in Singapore. They were gradually relaxed, up to the 1992 when they were brought in line with international human rights standards by the outgoing government and the second last Legislative Council (1992–1995). Upon Hong Kong handover, the human rights amendments in the 1990s were reverted by the NPCSC of China.