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| East Asia |
| Hong Kong Protests Anti-Subversion Law |
| 2003-07-01 |
| HONG KONG - Hundreds of thousands of angry and worried Hong Kong residents marched peacefully Tuesday to protest an anti-subversion law they fear will undermine freedoms of speech, press and assembly. D'ya think? "This will push Hong Kong toward an era of tyranny," said W.C. Mak, a 74-year-old retired nurse. Mak said the last time she demonstrated was June 1989, after Chinese troops crushed a student pro-democracy movement in Beijing and 1 million stunned people in Hong Kong, then a British colony, took to the streets. Gonna smash this one too, Chicoms? An organizer of Tuesday's protest, Richard Tsoi, said more than 500,000 people had turned out. Police said 350,000 people were on the streets during the peak of the demonstration — and the total would have been higher. They acknowledged it was the biggest protest here since the June 4, 1989, crackdown in Tiananmen Square shocked Hong Kong. Hong Kong's national security law, expected to pass in a few days, will ban subversion, treason, sedition and other crimes against the state, giving police more powers and carrying life prison sentences for some offenses. Like practicing Falun Gong, or Christianity or... Critics worry about possible mainland-style suppression of dissent in Hong Kong, although the government insists is not a concern and that constitutionally protected liberties will not be harmed. The black-clad protesters waved signs as they formed a long corridor as wide as two dozen people. The demonstration route extended across a wide stretch of Hong Kong island, from an urban park to government headquarters. Lines to join the march were so long that some people had to wait about four hours to get going. To commemorate the 1997 return of Chinese sovereignty, a uniformed band played patriotic music earlier in the morning and helicopters dragged the Chinese and Hong Kong flags through the sky as government leaders, including Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, stood at silent attention. Activists outside torched the flag of the Chinese Communist Party, demanding an end to its monopoly on power in the mainland and scuffling with police. Wen told an audience of political and business elites that Beijing would honor its pledge to allow Hong Kong considerable autonomy to preserve its "unique position and irreplaceable role" within China and the global economy. Wen was later asked about the anti-subversion bill and said it "absolutely will not affect the different rights and freedoms Hong Kong people — including reporters — enjoy under the law." Riiiiggghhhttt Wen left Hong Kong before the protest march. heh heh got outta Dodge while he could? Vincent Lui, a 35-year-old engineer who said he had never protested before, turned out with his wife and two children, holding a black flag that said: "We are angry." In Taiwan, the ruling party urged Hong Kong's leaders to respect the wishes of protesters against the planned anti-subversion law. "We give our support to the Hong Kong citizens who stand up to protect their freedoms and human rights," the Democratic Progressive Party said in a statement. When Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997, an arrangement dubbed "one country, two systems" guaranteed the territory could maintain its liberties. But its mini-constitution also required that it pass an anti-subversion law. Critics accuse officials of going too far. Many critics believe Hong Kong will use the law to ban Falun Gong, the meditation group outlawed in mainland China as an "evil cult." Beijing is trying to eradicate Falun Gong in the mainland, but the group remains legal in Hong Kong and frequently demonstrates here. That's one reason why they're passing it. Nothing shows how fragile the Politburo's hold on the country is than how desperately they've cracked down on Falun Gong - a religious exercise group Religious groups, human rights activists and journalists fear their activities will be curtailed. Some business executives also worry about the free flow of information — viewed as crucial in this leading financial and market center. Tung last week called the anti-subversion law necessary now that Hong Kong is part of China. "We have to make sure that we are patriotic. We have to maintain the fundamental interests of our nation," Tung said. "National security is something we cannot trifle with." The message to Taiwan — Don't get Fooled Again© |
| Posted by:Frank G |