Hong Kong iMail: Three held in Macau on eve of Jiang visit

Macau legislator Antonio Ng Kuok-cheong says citizens have been denied their civil rights.

A TEENAGE boy was beaten by Macau police as a warning not to distribute leaflets denouncing the June 4 massacre during the visit of President Jiang Zemin that begins today, a legislator in the enclave claimed yesterday.

Antonio Ng Kuok-cheong claimed a second boy was also held on Friday night and that another teenager was taken into police custody at 3pm yesterday for handing out leaflets.

Mr Jiang will be in Macau for tomorrow's celebrations marking the first anniversary of the enclave's return to China.

Mr Ng, one of eight elected deputies of the Legislative Assembly Macau, alleged the beaten teenager and the second boy were arrested and held for several hours without charge.

The injured boy wanted to go to hospital but his family talked him out of it. Mr Ng said the boy may have sustained broken bones. ``They do not want to contact me now, they are very afraid,'' he said.

``They only wanted to warn him. In this special period no one should do anything to make trouble.''

Mr Ng claimed police said they wanted to deter protesters during Mr Jiang's visit.

``They [protesters] are not a group, they are all individuals. One of the young people is very famous for this. He had previously been charged by the Hong Kong government for destroying the national flag in Hong Kong,'' Mr Ng said.

Mr Ng said he believed the boy arrested yesterday was being held at police headquarters and he was still trying to contact him. Macau police can hold a suspect for up to 48 hours without charge.

Macau police did not respond to questions about the teenagers.

It was reported but unconfirmed last night that the Central Government had stopped issuing two-way permits last week in preparation for the visit. Meanwhile, plainclothes police officers raided the home of a leading Falun Gong member in the enclave last night, Kan Hung-cheung, a Hong Kong member of the [group], said.

Police stormed the house of Lam Yat-ming - a co-ordinator of the [group] in Macau - at 11pm claiming they had received a report that a gun was hidden on the premises, Mr Kan quoted Mr Lam as saying.

Police left Mr Lam's home about 12.30am, failing to find any weapon.

There were indications the government would ban all Falun Gong members from entering Macau. Twenty Hong Kong Falun Gong members were due to arrive this afternoon.

19 December 2000 / 02:05 AM

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