SCMP (South China Morning Post) Reports Various Groups Voice Their Fears Over Article 23

SCMP (South China Morning Post) had an article titled "Church chief on offensive over Article 23" on May 4, 2003:

The head of the Catholic Church in Hong Kong yesterday launched a harsh attack on the government and "disgusting" pro-government legislators, claiming they were using the atypical pneumonia outbreak to push through controversial anti-subversion laws. More than 50 groups and individuals from the religious, legal and human rights fields lined up to make five-minute speeches during an eight-hour hearing of the Bills Committee on National Security (Legislative Provisions) Bill yesterday.

Most criticised the government for rushing through the draft national security laws, and voiced concerns that freedom of expression could be curbed.

The hearing was the last of three. The previous two were mostly reserved for pro-Beijing groups, which mainly declared their support for the draft laws.

During yesterday's hearing, extensive discussions also took place on the content of the draft legislation. Legal and human rights heavyweights such as the Bar and Law Society, Amnesty International, the Article 23 Concern Group and the Asian Human Rights Commission all voiced their fears.

Bishop Joseph Zen Ze-Kiun submitted a statement - read out by Father Louis Ke-loon - saying: "I have come, with some reluctance and with strong feelings of frustration and indignation, to speak about the manner in which the legislative process on Article 23 of the Basic Law is currently being promoted." Bishop Zen said the government was taking advantage of the fact that people's attention was distracted from the usual day-to-day matters by the Sars outbreak to "quietly push the legislative process on Article 23".

He said: "I ask you, is this honest or decent? Is this what 'making the worries of the people the priority of the government' means?

"Look at the disgusting and shameful manner in which the pro-government party is manipulating the process ... they use public hearing sessions like a political sideshow ... I find it sad that they think they can offend people's intelligence in such a shameless way," he said.

Bishop Zen also urged the new leaders in Beijing to "take time to look at Hong Kong, where self-styled patriots are doing serious damage to the principle of 'one country, two systems' - a principle that is so important both for Hong Kong and for our whole country".

It was widely understood that Bishop Zen was referring to legislators from the Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong.

Alan Leong Kah-kit, SC, former chairman of the Bar Association, also criticised the government for not allowing full legislative scrutiny of the bill, saying it could lead to drafting loopholes and problems in future court proceedings.

Sarah Carmichael, chairwoman of Amnesty International's Hong Kong section, said the organisation was disappointed and "disturbed" by the government's handling of the public consultation process and its rushing through of the legislation.

She said the definition of the offences of treason, sedition and subversion needed further revision and clarification to ensure they were not used to limit the fundamental freedoms of Hong Kong people.

"Without such clarification, the offence of sedition, incitement to sedition and handling seditious publications will also remain ambiguous," she said.

Many organisations - including the Hong Kong Alliance Youth Group, the April 5th Action Group and the Hong Kong Association of Falun Dafa - voiced fears that their activities, such as supporting the June 4 pro-democracy movement on the mainland, would fall foul of the law.

Hong Kong News Executives' Association chairwoman May Chan Suk-mei said journalists were also worried about the negative impact on press freedom. She said the government had failed to introduce "public interest" as a defence in relation to the theft of state secrets and the intention to incite. Secretary for Security Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee also attended the meeting but did not speak, while only about 20 legislators from the 50-strong bills committee showed up.

Outside Legco, more than 100 Falun Gong followers practised in silence in protest against the enactment of Article 23.