Police said 30,000
people took part in Wednesday's protest Thousands of Hong Kong people protested on Wednesday against the government's
handling of a controversial anti-subversion bill. (Clearwisdom.net) Demonstrators staged a candlelit vigil and called for
greater democracy, amid mounting criticism of Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, who
was not directly elected to the post. In a sign of China's deep concern about the situation, pro-Beijing
politicians said a team of middle-ranking mainland officials had arrived in the
territory to assess developments. A BBC correspondent says the officials are reported to have been present at
Wednesday night's protest, which saw tens of thousands of people gather outside
the territory's legislative council. The protest followed a 1 July rally when 500,000 people marched to denounce
the anti-subversion bill, the biggest protest in the territory since the
Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing in June 1989. The scale of that protest forced Mr. Tung to defer the bill's passage, and no
new timetable has been set for it. Under the Basic Law - Hong Kong's mini-constitution, drawn up on its return
to Chinese sovereignty - the territory is required to pass security laws banning
treason, sedition, subversion and the theft of state secrets. But opponents are concerned that China could use the legislation - known as
Article 23 - to suppress Hong Kong's political freedom and curb free speech. Tsoi Yiu-cheong, a spokesman for the Civil Human Rights Front, said
Wednesday's rally was not merely about the bill. "We will continue to push on our demand until there is universal suffrage in
Hong Kong," he added. Hong Kong's constitution allows for universal suffrage after 2007, but the
government has repeatedly refused to debate the issue. The Civil Human Rights Front says that the anti-subversion bill should only
be discussed when the territory's government is democratically elected, in order
to lessen the scope for abuse. 'Full support' Ahead of Wednesday's rally, Mr. Tung promised to listen more closely to
public opinion. "Our goal is clear, it is to win back the support and trust of the people,"
he said. But critics say the rally and Mr. Tung's subsequent climb-down on the passage
of the anti-subversion bill have seriously undermined his authority to rule,
prompting speculation he may be forced to step down later this year or reshuffle
his cabinet. Appointed by Beijing, Mr. Tung has been blamed for a string of policy
blunders, including mismanagement of the recent SARS crisis and failing to
revive the stagnant economy. His political difficulties appeared to mount on Wednesday when a key ally -
Tsang Yok-sing, leader of the largest pro-Beijing party, the Democratic Alliance
for the Betterment of Hong Kong - suggested that Secretary for Security Regina
Ip should be removed from her post. "If Ip continues to handle this legislation she will face some difficulty,"
he said. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3054861.stm
Posting date: 7/11/2003
Original article date: 7/10/2003
Category: News & Media Reports