HONG KONG -- A petition activity was launched here on Sunday in support of national security legislation for Hong Kong, with the number of participators quickly amounting to tens of thousands.

More than 1,000 street stands were set up across Hong Kong to collect public signatures for the petition.

At a street stand in Sheung Wan area on Hong Kong Island, a total of 456 signatures were collected in only two hours on Sunday.

Piana He, a volunteer at the street stand, told Xinhua that the petition was welcomed and supported by many Hong Kong residents as they believed that national security legislation at the state level will provide crucial support for maintaining Hong Kong's prosperity and stability and safeguarding Hong Kong residents' well-being.

The petition activity was launched by a newly established organization jointly initiated by thousands of people and hundreds of groups representing various sectors in the Hong Kong community.

The petition, to be held for one week starting from Sunday, was also launched online. As of Sunday evening, more than 100,000 people had participated in the online petition.

After a draft decision on establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to safeguard national security was submitted to the third session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) for deliberation, many Hong Kong residents have voiced support for the legislation.

Chung Pui-lan, a retired kindergarten teacher who participated in the petition, said she supports the legislation and hopes that it will help protect Hong Kong from scourge caused by external forces and restore its prosperity and stability.

The prolonged disturbance has dealt a serious blow to Hong Kong's economy and people's livelihood, and many innocent residents were brutally assaulted by rioters just for holding different views, a Hong Kong resident surnamed Lau said, adding that she hopes national security legislation will help protect Hong Kong residents' freedoms and safety from being threatened by violence.

Suen Ming-fung, a retired civil servant, agreed that it is necessary for the central authorities to take action since Hong Kong failed to enact laws for safeguarding national security on its own.

Suen said he believes the legislation will help Hong Kong restore prosperity. "Only when its security is ensured can Hong Kong attract more foreign investment and develop more vigorously."

Fung Kuen-kwok, a doctor living in Yau Ma Tei area in Kowloon, said since the social unrest started in June 2019, many of his neighbors and clients have been worried about their own safety due to rampant violence.

Many countries around the world have relatively complete legal systems to safeguard national security, Fung pointed out, adding that it is the duty of every citizen to safeguard national security, but Hong Kong as a special administrative region of China has been slow in completing national security legislation

"We have been looking forward to this (national security legislation) for a long time," he said. "I believe that after the completion of the legislation, it will have a deterrent effect on violent elements and help the residents to resume normal life and work."