Hong Kong iMail: Editorial: Bungled opportunity

11 May 2001

THIS week was an opportunity for Hong Kong, but one that may already have been lost. Some of the world's top business leaders came here for the Fortune Global Forum, and the SAR had a unique chance to promote itself to the world, to boost its economy, to attract foreign investment.

Unfortunately, it has all been overshadowed by the protests, and the police handling of the demonstrations. Instead of focusing on the event, which was a significant international business gathering, the eyes of the world's media were focused on the activities of a small group of demonstrators and claims of excessive force by the Hong Kong police.

The protests did not require the police aggression and excessive security measures that were taken. The protests were not remotely as disorderly or threatening as those at international conferences in Seattle or Prague, for example, and the police aggression only served to divert attention away from the Fortune Global Forum and on to the question of freedom and human rights in Hong Kong.

It is ironic that at an international event like this, which has attracted people from all over the world, foreign consulates have been put in the position of having to demand explanations for why their citizens were refused entry. Chief Secretary for Administration Donald Tsang Yam-kuen admitted that people were denied entry, but he said they were ``international criminals'' and ``terrorists''. Yet where is the evidence for that claim? Are Falun Gong followers from overseas really terrorists? For police to adopt US riot-police tactics, grappling protesters about the face and neck, may have been innovative but proved counter-productive. It is a sign of the iron hand slipping from the velvet glove, and such signs are threats to Hong Kong's stability, security and prosperity.

It is time, on the final day of the forum, for an effort to be made to get back to business, to focus on the issues discussed at the forum, and to end the forum on a more positive note. It is unwise and unnecessary - indeed, impossible - to suppress every dissident voice, so the authorities should refrain from further aggression and allow the protests to continue peacefully.