2 June 2001 / 03:46 AM

AUSTRALIA'S Foreign Minister Alexander Downer yesterday warned Hong Kong that if it did not preserve its freedoms, it could not hope to keep its image as ''one of the freest places in the world''.

''We hope that whatever laws are introduced they won't in any way detract from the great tradition of freedom in Hong Kong because if freedom is diminished, then Hong Kong will be diminished,'' Mr Downer said in an indirect reference to government's handling of the Falun Gong.

Mr Downer, in the territory for a short visit, made his comments while answering questions about the possibility of Hong Kong adopting similar legislation to France's recently passed anti-xx law.

[...]

Mr Downer said Australia and the SAR not only shared the same legal roots, but in many ways faced similar situations when dealing with xx [Chinese government's slanderous words omitted]. He said Australia relied on laws already on the books, none of which were specifically targeted at an evil xx [slanderous words omitted].

While the Security Bureau has said it was too early to draft legislation, it did confirm that it was studying other governments' efforts in dealing with an evil xx [slanderous words omitted].

Human rights groups, church leaders, Democratic Party legislators and the Hong Kong Bar Association have all registered misgivings about such a law being enacted in Hong Kong. The common thread among the groups' worries is the belief that such a law could be easily abused.

Bar Association chairman Alan Leong Kah-kit, SC, said Hong Kong already had enough laws on the books to curb and prosecute illegal activities.

[...]

Beijing has outlawed the Falun Gong, labelling the group as an ''[Chinese government's slanderous words omitted]''. The Falun Gong's Hong Kong branch has responded by staging protests at international events such as the Fortune Global Forum.

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