LA Times: China Warns Territories on Freedom

HONG KONG -- Chinese President Jiang Zemin on Wednesday warned the people of Macao and Hong Kong against using their freedom to oppose the state.

Speaking in Macao on the first anniversary of the former Portuguese colony's return to Chinese sovereignty, Jiang said the people of China's two special administrative regions should pay attention to their social responsibilities rather than involve themselves in protests.

"We must never allow a small number of people in Macao to carry out activities that are against the central government and split the country," Jiang told an audience of dignitaries from Macao, Hong Kong and mainland China who had gathered to mark the anniversary. The Chinese leader then urged the Macao government to "take concrete measures to defend the national interest and the authority of the central government."

Although his remarks were directed at the people of Macao, he made clear that they were also relevant to Hong Kong. Residents of the two regions, both former European colonial possessions, enjoy far greater personal freedoms and civil rights under the negotiated terms of the territories' return to Chinese sovereignty. Especially in Hong Kong, myriad protest movements and a freewheeling media have taken advantage of those freedoms, leading to tensions with the regime in Beijing, which tends to see public political dissent as a danger to the state.

Shortly before Jiang spoke, plainclothes police officers descended on a small group of followers from the Falun Gong spiritual movement as it began its exercise rituals in a small Macao park and took the participants away. The group of about 20 people, all wearing yellow shirts, was reportedly released a short time later and allowed to practice its rituals for two hours in an area far from the official ceremonies.

Authorities in Macao blamed the detentions on a police mix-up, but dozens of pro-democracy activists and Falun Gong followers, many of whom had traveled from Hong Kong for anniversary protests, were rounded up and expelled from the enclave Tuesday before Jiang's arrival. Another group of Falun Gong followers arriving by ferry from Hong Kong also was turned back Tuesday.

Jiang's speech had added meaning in Hong Kong because it came on a day the government tried to block efforts to loosen the region's relatively stringent ordinance regarding the right of assembly. The United Nations Human Rights Committee said last year that the ordinance should be reviewed because it is too restrictive. Partly because of this, reaction in Hong Kong to Jiang's remarks was swift.

"It's totally out of line to suggest that some people who enjoy the peaceful rights to free and peaceful assembly amount to a threat to national unity," declared Law Yuk-kai, director of Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor, which keeps tabs on the territory's compliance with international human rights agreements.

Emily Lau, leader of Hong Kong's Frontier Party, expressed shock at Jiang's speech and called on the government to reassure people of their rights. But Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, in Macao for the ceremonies, clearly tried to sidestep the controversy, saying only that everyone in the community carried responsibilities.

In his speech, Jiang singled out Macao's media for special criticism, saying they should not only value freedom of the press but also consider their social responsibilities. The media "should play a more positive role in matters related to Macao's stability and prosperity, the country's interests and the good of the nation," he said.

His remarks marked the second attack in recent months on the free media of the two regions. In late October, Jiang launched into a tirade against members of the Hong Kong media during a news conference in Beijing, saying they ask simple questions and are naive.

While Wednesday's comments were more subdued, the fact that they were written into a formal speech clearly unsettled those in both regions who are dedicated to protecting their freedoms. "This is no slip of the tongue," said Mak Yin-ting of the Hong Kong Journalists Assn. "He must be wanting to set a new parameter for the media in Hong Kong and Macao."

Political observers believe that Jiang's criticism of the Hong Kong media stems in part from journalists' rough treatment of Tung, a lackluster but tame political figure whom Jiang would like to see serve a second term as head of the Hong Kong government.

05:49 EST December 21, 2000