Tung spurns calls to reintroduce an anti-subversion bill

Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa (董建華) rejected calls from pro-Beijing allies to reintroduce an anti-subversion bill, saying yesterday that the territory must first resolve sharp disagreements that killed the bill last year.

Pro-Beijing and pro-business lawmakers said Tung should try again with a national security measure, even though it prompted a protest by 500,000 people who called it a threat to civil liberties.

Tung was forced to withdraw the bill after that massive march on July 1 last year, which threw his government into its biggest crisis since Britain returned Hong Kong to China six years earlier.

Tung met with reporters yesterday and said that before Hong Kong can push again for the anti-subversion legislation, which has been demanded by Beijing, "the society must have basic consensus on this issue."

Tung also said Hong Kong constitutional affairs officials have other priorities, including making arrangements for the election of his successor in 2007 and the next Legislative Council in 2008.

Beijing angered many in Hong Kong by ruling out direct elections for the territory's next leader and for all lawmakers in 2008. Tung was chosen by an 800-member pro-Beijing committee, although ordinary voters were allowed to directly pick 30 of the territory's 60 lawmakers in elections on Sunday. The rest were chosen by special interest groups, such as bankers, lawyers and doctors.

Pro-democracy figures who fought hard against last year's anti-subversion bill claimed just 25 seats on Sunday, a gain of three.

The pro-Beijing and pro-government forces that will retain control of the legislature figured the time is right to try again on the bill, which would outlaw sedition, treason and other crimes against the state.

Critics have called it a threat to Hong Kong's freedoms of press, assembly and speech and voiced fears it could introduce mainland-style repression to the territory.

James Tien (田北俊), a key Tung ally and pro-business lawmaker, withdrew his Liberal Party's support for the bill last year. But after Sunday's elections, he said the government should reintroduce a toned-down version.

The pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB), also wants Tung to proceed with the legislation, which is required under Article 23 of Hong Kong's mini-constitution, the Basic Law, although no timetable is specified.

"This is something that has to be done sooner or later," said lawmaker Tam Yiu-chung (譚耀宗), who is also DAB vice chairman.

The government and the pro-Beijing camp have insisted the anti-subversion measure was not intended to clamp down on local freedoms, which were constitutionally guaranteed for at least 50 years after Britain returned Hong Kong to China in July 1997.

Tam said the measure would simply "prevent people from engaging in subversion."