A leading Hong Kong democrat barred from China may be granted entry as part of a peace deal to end a long-running political feud, an English-language newspaper reported yesterday.
Pro-democracy legislator Martin Lee (
More hardline democrats, like Szeto Wah (
Lee said he had not been approached by mainland officials.
"I have openly stated my dream of going to the mainland. However, it is not worthwhile trying to realize my dream if it will polarize the democrats and Democratic Party," he was quoted as saying.
Lee has been banned from entering China, where his family originated, since he denounced the June 4, 1989, massacre of pro-democracy citizens and students in and around Tiananmen Square.
He has cited the ban as evidence of China's unwillingness to discuss political progress in Hong Kong.
The source told The Standard that Lee was included on the list after he introduced a goodwill motion in the Legislative Council last Wednesday, urging people to work with the government.
If true, the move could signal a thaw in the long conflict between democrats and the city's rulers in Beijing over electoral reforms in the former British colony.
Tensions escalated in April after Beijing rejected public demands for direct elections by 2007, when the next chief executive is set to be be chosen.
Both sides have begun making conciliatory gestures to win over moderate voters ahead of crucial legislative elections later this year.
Democrats fear the conflict will discourage voters from going to the polls on September 12, while China wants to win undecided electors over to pro-Bei-jing parties.
Victory for democrats could result in government gridlock and would cause further image problems for China.
In the latest round of tension-easing, democrats agreed to drop their "give power to the people" slogan at a pro-democracy rally Thursday for fear it would give the impression they supported independence from China.
An unnamed "leading official" of the Chinese representative office in the city welcomed Lee's call for unity and cooperation. He also said his move was positive and good for "social harmony."
Beijing's charm offensive has been partly motivated to defuse expectations for Thursday's July 1 rally, which like last year's anti-Beijing march is expected to attract hundreds of thousands.
As part of this public relations blitz, Tung has promised to listen more to the democracy camp.
VAGUE: The criteria of the amnesty remain unclear, but it would cover political violence from 1999 to today, and those convicted of murder or drug trafficking would not qualify Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez on Friday announced an amnesty bill that could lead to the release of hundreds of prisoners, including opposition leaders, journalists and human rights activists detained for political reasons. The measure had long been sought by the US-backed opposition. It is the latest concession Rodriguez has made since taking the reins of the country on Jan. 3 after the brazen seizure of then-Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. Rodriguez told a gathering of justices, magistrates, ministers, military brass and other government leaders that the ruling party-controlled Venezuelan National Assembly would take up the bill with urgency. Rodriguez also announced the shutdown
Civil society leaders and members of a left-wing coalition yesterday filed impeachment complaints against Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte, restarting a process sidelined by the Supreme Court last year. Both cases accuse Duterte of misusing public funds during her term as education secretary, while one revives allegations that she threatened to assassinate former ally Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The filings come on the same day that a committee in the House of Representatives was to begin hearings into impeachment complaints against Marcos, accused of corruption tied to a spiraling scandal over bogus flood control projects. Under the constitution, an impeachment by the
China executed 11 people linked to Myanmar criminal gangs, including “key members” of telecom scam operations, state media reported yesterday, as Beijing toughens its response to the sprawling, transnational industry. Fraud compounds where scammers lure Internet users into fake romantic relationships and cryptocurrency investments have flourished across Southeast Asia, including in Myanmar. Initially largely targeting Chinese speakers, the criminal groups behind the compounds have expanded operations into multiple languages to steal from victims around the world. Those conducting the scams are sometimes willing con artists, and other times trafficked foreign nationals forced to work. In the past few years, Beijing has stepped up cooperation
Exiled Tibetans began a unique global election yesterday for a government representing a homeland many have never seen, as part of a democratic exercise voters say carries great weight. From red-robed Buddhist monks in the snowy Himalayas, to political exiles in megacities across South Asia, to refugees in Australia, Europe and North America, voting takes place in 27 countries — but not China. “Elections ... show that the struggle for Tibet’s freedom and independence continues from generation to generation,” said candidate Gyaltsen Chokye, 33, who is based in the Indian hill-town of Dharamsala, headquarters of the government-in-exile, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). It
RSS