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China bears down as HK grumbles

About 50 legislators and activists protested yesterday against plans by Hong Kong's leader to push ahead with passage of an anti-subversion bill despite public demands for a delay.

Meanwhile, China's government said the bill should be approved on Wednesday as scheduled.

In the territory's biggest political crisis since it returned to China six years ago, Hong Kong's leader, Tung Chee-hwa (董建華), announced he would amend several parts of the bill because of widespread opposition. But he insisted he still wants it passed on Wednesday.

The bill would hand down life prison sentences for subversion, treason and other crimes against the state and would give police more powers. Many fear such measures will lead to greater repression in Hong Kong, which has maintained many of its freedoms since the handover from British to Chinese rule.

An estimated 500,000 people marched against the bill last Tuesday -- the sixth anniversary of Hong Kong's handover.

"Half a million people marched to demand the government shelve the legislation, and you are still forcing it through," said Yeung Sum, head of the Democratic Party, who organized yesterday's protest.

Hong Kong's Roman Catholic Church leader, Bishop Joseph Zen, a vocal critic of the bill, also objected to its quick enactment.

"We can't imagine that people who marched on July 1 will be satisfied just because of these amendments," Zen said late Saturday.

Speaking for the first time since Tuesday's protest, Hong Kong's secretary for security, Regina Ip, said the anti-subversion bill would not undermine religious or other freedoms.

"We sincerely believe we have tried our best to address public concerns and we hope the public will support" passage of the bill on Wednesday, she said.

Beijing lent its support to Tung's embattled government yesterday, saying that Hong Kong's legislature and the public should support passage of the bill. Passage of a national security law is required under Hong Kong's mini-constitution.

Enacting the legislation is the "solemn responsibility of the Hong Kong people," a spokesman for the National People's Congress, China's legislature, was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency.

On Saturday, Tung said he would scrap a provision that allows some groups to be banned, add protections for journalists who publish classified information and delete a provision that would let police conduct searches without warrants.

But opposition lawmakers and some journalist representatives said it still does not offer enough protection for the media.

Tuesday's protest was the biggest in Hong Kong since 1 million people demonstrated against Beijing's deadly crackdown on the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy movement in June 1989. Organizers said they will rally tens of thousands of people again on Wednesday.

Several key government allies and lawmakers went directly to Beijing and met with Chinese central government officials to discuss the issue, heightening perceptions that Tung has lost his authority.
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