Lee, also the city’s former security chief, told reporters at a weekly news briefing that he would not comment on speculations and people concerned could inquire the police force regarding the matter.

The police force earlier also hit back at what they claimed as “unverified speculation” while condemning “attempts to harass and intimidate” media workers. It said several journalists from different media outlets had reportedly been followed.

Meanwhile, when asked to comment on the police restrictions imposed on public rallies in the city recently, including number tagging participants, Lee said public events must be of order, safe, and legal and that most processions and assemblies lately have been carried out smoothly as such.

He said the police chief is responsible for preventing such public events from violating public order or national security while protecting citizens’ rights.

Separately, responding to the Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions’ plan to stage a procession on May 1, the SAR leader said authorities would vet the proposed events according to their risks and nature before giving the green light.

He pointed out that many public events in 2019 have been hijacked to cause public disturbance and that the police chief would reference the experiences to ensure future events take place with order.