04/01/2003

The European Union is considering using its next summit meeting with mainland officials to raise concerns over Hong Kong's enactment of new national security laws, according to the special administrative region's (SAR) Democratic Party.

That would likely renew international pressure on the Hong Kong government, which is pressing ahead with the legislative process in a bid to have the controversial blue bill passed before the July recess.

The Democrats and Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor sent a joint delegation to update European Parliament members in Brussels, as well as Geneva-based human rights activists, on the legislative proposals last week.

The delegates met the European Parliament vice-president Joan Naval, parliament members Willy DeClercq and Graham Watson of the Liberal Democrats, and John Cushnahan, who is responsible for the latest report on Hong Kong tabled to the parliament last week.

Summing up the trip yesterday, Democrat legislator James To Kun-sun said some representatives had warned relations between Hong Kong and the EU could be undermined by the proposed legislation.

"They think the foundation of such bilateral relations is the fact that Hong Kong has 'one country, two systems' with human rights safeguards. Any moves to erode these will indeed damage that foundation," said Mr To.

He said one of the ministerial-level diplomats they met had promised to raise the issue with his European counterparts ahead of an upcoming summit with China, which could be held as early as this month.

"I expect that the EU would express concerns on the issue again in the summit, which I think will be held soon," he said.

The move to legislate against subversion and other state security crimes under Basic Law Article 23 prompted the European Parliament to past a resolution in December expressing concerns over the possible threat to civil liberties within the proposed legislation.

A three-month consultation exercise, which ended on December 24, attracted a record high of more than 90,000 submissions from the public.

During that period concerns were expressed by some foreign governments and chambers of commerce in Hong Kong about the impact the laws may have on freedoms.

SAR officials have since watered down some of the proposals. Critics, however, are adamant that individual freedoms will still be eroded. Mr To, who accompanied former Democratic Party leader Martin Lee Chu-ming and Law Yuk-kai, of Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor, on the trip, said politicians in Europe remained vigilant about the latest developments.

He said he hoped the renewed international pressure would prompt President Hu Jintao and China's other new leaders to reconsider whether the legislation should be further diluted to ease public concern. "It would be very wrong to think that people there only care about the Gulf War and have forgotten about Article 23 now," Mr To said.

He said some members also expressed concerns about the Catholic Church and spiritual movement Falun Gong, whose activities might be restricted under the proposed power for the security chief to proscribe groups on national security grounds if they are subordinate to those who have been banned on the mainland.

Legislators will resume scrutiny of the National Security legislative provisions today.