Thu Nov 7, 7:22 AM ET

HONG KONG - Opponents of a proposed anti-subversion law in Hong Kong on Thursday called it a throwback to the 18th century, but pro-Beijing figures said it was necessary to cement the former British colony's position as part of China.

The chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association, Alan Leong, said Hong Kong's government is seeking anti-subversion measures even more stringent than mainland China's.

Leong said the government was employing "outdated concepts from the 18th century," and pushing things much farther than it needs to in outlawing subversion.

"It's like reviving a vampire," Leong told legislators who were meeting to discuss the proposal.

Since Hong Kong was returned to China on July 1, 1997, it has been required under its mini-constitution, the Basic Law, to outlaw treason, secession, sedition and subversion against the central government, as well as the theft of state secrets.

The proposed new law also requires that Hong Kong outlaw activities carried out here by foreign political groups, and that it stop local political organizations from establishing ties with foreign ones.

The government unveiled a draft of the law in September, and said it hopes to enact it by July.

[...]

Critics worry that the law will gradually erode Hong Kong's freedom of expression, a holdover from British colonial days, and that it could be used to target groups disliked by the administrations in Beijing or Hong Kong.

Many have questioned whether the law could be used against Falun Gong, the meditation [exercise] which is outlawed in mainland China [...], but frequently protests in Hong Kong against Beijing's often deadly crackdown on its followers in the mainland.

Hong Kong officials have denied they will target Falun Gong, but members of the group who don't believe that pledge protested near the Legislative Council on Thursday afternoon.

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