South China Morning Post: Anti-subversion bill fails to allay critics' fears

02/14/2003

(Clearwisdom.net) A long-awaited bill outlining the government's plans for implementing controversial anti-subversion laws was finally unveiled yesterday[...]

Critics homed in on the power to be granted to the security chief to outlaw local groups whose counterparts are banned on the mainland.

Under the bill, the security chief could ban local groups if it is "reasonably believed" this is necessary in the interests of national security.

Although the clause is narrower than that originally proposed, groups such as the Falun Gong and the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of the Patriotic Democratic Movement in China believe they could still be trapped for having financial and other links with mainland groups.

Lawmakers opposing the bill said some provisions, such as the banning mechanism, were worse than they had envisaged.

Legislator Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee said the secretary for security would have little autonomy in deciding whether to outlaw a local group once the central government had certified its mother group on the mainland.

"Despite all those so-called safeguards, nothing has been improved," Ms Ng said.

[...]

The Hong Kong Journalists Association, meanwhile, criticized the government for "ignoring public opinion".