By Carrie Lee
December 13, 2002 (Clearwisdom.net) HONG KONG - Anxiety over a planned but controversial anti-subversion law
has raised public concern over individual and political freedoms in Hong Kong to record levels since
the former British colony returned to Chinese rule, a survey revealed on Friday. "What we've found was a rise in anxiety and concern about personal freedoms, freedom of the
press, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, religious freedom (and) academic freedom,"
Michael DeGolyer, head of the Hong Kong Transition Project, told Reuters. The government unveiled proposals for the anti-subversion law in September. In a November survey conducted by DeGolyer's group, 10 percent of respondents said they were
"very worried" about personal freedoms, a record figure since the handover and double the
five percent recorded in the last poll in August. The group polled 814 people in November and 721 in August. The percentage of respondents who said they were "not worried" fell to 58 percent in
November -- the lowest level since Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule -- from 68 percent in August. The survey found that those expressing their anxiety included foreigners living in Hong Kong and
business people. "(Business people) showed some of the largest increases in concern about these various types
of freedoms," DeGolyer said. About 22 percent of managers and administrators polled in November said they were
"somewhat" or "very worried" about personal freedom, a leap from seven percent
in the last survey in August. FEARED LAW Beijing is keen to see the law passed to prevent Hong Kong, which enjoys much greater individual
and political freedoms than on the mainland, from being used by hostile forces to subvert the
Chinese government. Under the proposed law, people found guilty of acts of treason, sedition, secession from, or
subversion against the mainland government could be imprisoned for life. Rights activists and legal experts worry the law may roll back civil liberties and could be
exploited by Hong Kong and Beijing authorities to target anyone they do not like. A pact between Britain and China promised the former British colony a high degree of autonomy for
50 years under a "one country, two systems" formula. The territory's constitution requires it to enact a subversion law but does not specify the
details or time frame. In the survey, 54 percent of respondents thought it was not the right time to pass the
controversial law. "At a time when the economy is barely recovering, to raise issues which may have an economic
effect... that doesn't seem like good timing," DeGolyer said. A three-month round of consultation on the broad outlines of the planned law is now under way and
will end in late December. http://sg.news.yahoo.com/reuters/asia-137540.html
Reuters Photo
Posting date: 12/14/2002
Original article date: 12/14/2002
Category: News & Media Reports