Peter Lai was Secretary for Security

Secretary for Security

The Secretary for Security is the member of the Hong Kong Government in charge of the Security Bureau, which is responsible for public safety, security, and immigration matters....

 of Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

 from 1995 to 1998, spanning the important Handover to Chinese rule.

Career

Lai graduated from Hong Kong University with a first-class honours degree in history (majoring in Modern Chinese History). In 1973, he joined the Administrative Service

Hong Kong Civil Service

The Hong Kong Civil Service is managed by 12 policy bureaux in the Government Secretariat, and 67 departments and agencies, mostly staffed by civil servants. The Secretary for the Civil Service is one of the Principal Officials appointed under the Accountability System and a Member of the...

, and held various political and managerial posts, including in the New Territories Administration, the Urban Services Department

Urban Services Department

Urban Services Department was a government department in Hong Kong. It carried out the policies and managed the facilities of the former Urban Council.After being abolished with the Urban Council in 1999, its functions were inherited by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and the Leisure...

, the Immigration Department

Immigration Department (Hong Kong)

The Immigration Department of the Government of Hong Kong is responsible for immigration control of Hong Kong. After the People's Republic of China assumed sovereignty of the territory in July 1997, Hong Kong's immigration system remained largely unchanged from its British predecessor model...

, the Lands and Works Branch, the Civil Service Branch and the Constitutional Affairs Branch

Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau

The Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau is an agency of the Government of Hong Kong responsible for the implementation of the Basic Law. The bureau is the intermediary between the HKSAR Government and the Central People's Government and other Mainland authorities under the principles of...

.

In the mid 1980s he took part in the negotiations between Britain and China on the future of Hong Kong, which led to the Sino-British Joint Declaration

Sino-British Joint Declaration

The Sino-British Joint Declaration, formally known as the Joint Declaration of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the People's Republic of China on the Question of Hong Kong, was signed by the Prime Ministers, Zhao Ziyang and Margaret...

 on the Question of Hong Kong, as well as in negotiations in 1993 about Hong Kong's new political system. He also contributed to the drafting of the Basic Law

Hong Kong Basic Law

The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, or simply Hong Kong Basic Law, serves as the constitutional document of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China...

.

In February 1995 Lai was appointed the first ethnic Chinese Secretary for Security

Secretary for Security

The Secretary for Security is the member of the Hong Kong Government in charge of the Security Bureau, which is responsible for public safety, security, and immigration matters....

 of the Hong Kong Government, and he remained in this post until his resignation in mid-1998, the year following the Handover, when he emigrated to the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. It was speculated that he had to resign since he was also responsible for British intelligence work in Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

, and also because of his strong stance in refusing to share the information held by Hong Kong Police with the Beijing

Beijing

Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

 government.

He is now an Associate with the Asia Research Centre at Murdoch University

Murdoch University

Murdoch University is a public university based in Perth, Australia. It began operations as the state's second university in 1973, and accepted its first students in 1975...

 in Perth

Perth, Western Australia

Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, specialising in Hong Kong's politics and constitutional developments.