HONG KONG, June 8 (AFP) - Proposed security laws pose the greatest threat to
freedom of speech and press in Hong Kong since the former British colony's 1997
return to China, the Hong Kong Journalist Association (HKJA) said Sunday.
The HKJA in its annual report called on the government to abolish planned
sedition and theft of state secrets offences, which it said presented the
greatest risk to freedom of expression.
"The political nature of such offences will mean that legislation, even if there
are checks and balances, must sit uncomfortably with the protection of certain
rights, especially freedom of expression," the HKJA said.
Under Article 23 of the Basic Law, the territory's mini-constitution, Hong Kong
is obliged to pass anti-subversion legislation seen by many as a heavy-handed
attempt by Beijing to stamp its authority on Hong Kong.
The territory's government, which had watered down an initial version of the
bill after a three-month consultation, submitted the law to legislators in
February and is hoping to have it on the statute books by July.
However, HKJA chairwoman Mak Yin-ting slammed the new version and tweaks made
over the past two weeks as being purely "cosmetic in nature".
"The changes fail to tackle the fundamental threats to freedom of expression,"
she said. "They merely tinker with the legislation and thus the amendments will
make little difference to how the law is implemented or the chilling effect it
will have on the media."
[...]
Despite the reassurance, US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage told a
group of Hong Kong legislators in America last week that Washington remained
worried about the proposed new laws and would continue to voice concerns.
[...]
However, rights activists and pro-democracy groups fear China would use the new
security laws to suppress freedoms, including those of the media, speech and
religion.
http://www.ptd.net/webnews/wed/aj/Qhongkong-subversion.RJfu_Du8.html