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Hundreds protest Beijing influence in HK's affairs

Hundreds of people, many dressed in black, marched through downtown Hong Kong yesterday to denounce China for intervening in a dispute over the next local leader's term length, a move critics say hurts Hong Kong's judicial independence.

Carrying black balloons, the protesters chanted "Protect [Hong Kong's] high degree of autonomy" as they set out for China's liaison office in Hong Kong from an urban park.

Earlier, demonstrators laid a funeral wreath with banners that said "rule of law is dead" at the park.

Organizers and police didn't immediately offer crowd-size figures. A reporter estimated at least 1,000 attended.

The term length dispute surfaced when former leader Tung Chee-hwa (董建華) quit last month with more than two years left in his term. China says Tung's replacement should serve his remaining two years.

The National People's Congress' Standing Committee is expected to issue a ruling stipulating a two-year term later this week. It began examining the issue yesterday.

But many legal experts and pro-democracy lawmakers say any new leader should get a fresh five-year term. Critics allege Beijing is distorting the law to keep the new leader -- to be picked by an 800-member committee loyal to Beijing on July 10 -- on a short leash.

Former British colony Hong Kong was returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with promises of separate political, economic and legal systems. But some believe China's authoritarian government has been meddling in Hong Kong's affairs.

China has issued two rulings involving Hong Kong -- the first limiting immigration from China, the second rejecting a quick move to full democracy. Both drew outrage.

The organizer of yesterday's march, Chong Yiu-kwong, said the protest will unlikely change China's mind but locals are obligated to speak out.

"Whenever the government violates the law, we have to let them know they're wrong," he said.
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