AFP: Freedom fears grow in Hong Kong over security law

Friday, 13-Dec-2002 10:40PM Story from AFP

HONG KONG, Dec 14 (AFP) - A planned new security law in Hong Kong has raised

fears about a lack of freedom here to their highest levels since the territory reverted to Chinese sovereignty, according to a survey.

Fears about losing personal, media and academic freedoms have doubled in the past three months amid rapidly growing concern over the government's planned anti-subversion laws, the survey said.

The survey was carried out by the Hong Kong Transition Project, an academic group that monitors the effects of the 1997 handover of the former British territory to China.

Under the Article 23 security laws, the government intends to pass laws banning treason, sedition, subversion and theft of state secrets.

Civil rights activists, media groups, business leaders and other citizens have all expressed concern over the laws since the government released a discussion paper on the issue in September.

Groups such as the human rights body, Amnesty International, have warned the rights to freedom of thought, religion, expression, peaceful assembly and association could all be severely curtailed by the law.

The Transition Project survey found that 10 per cent of respondents were "very worried" about personal freedoms, double the figure from the previous survey in August.

More than 70 percent of respondents also opposed the planned expansion of police powers under the new laws.

The South China Morning Post quoted Transition Project director Michael DeGolyer on Saturday as saying managers, administrators and foreign-born residents were the most worried about losing their freedoms.

"When you get the students and the business people stirred up at the same time, it's time to worry," DeGolyer said, according to the Post.

"With this kind of reaction to nothing but the consultation paper, God help us if something really awful emerges in the blue bill."

The government is expected to enact the legislation, or blue bill, after the three-month consultation exercise ends on December 24.

However opponents to Article 23 are pushing for a white bill to be released to allow the public to be fully informed.

The survey comes ahead of a planned major rally by opponents to the legislation on Sunday.

http://www.ptd.net/webnews/wed/bm/Qhongkong-subversion.Rtev_CDE.html