Aknauta
03-02-2003, 02:38 AM
Taipei Times
Beijing ruins Hong Kong's liberties
By Paul Lin 林保&#33 775;
Saturday, Mar 01, 2003,Page 8
The people of Hong Kong were filled with agony on Valentine's Day. The Special Administrative Region government chose to publish the National Security (Legislative Provisions) bill, the so-called "blue bill," (draft law) on that day -- a clear indication that legislation aimed at implementing Article 23 of the Basic Law, which curbs Hong Kong's freedoms and rights, is entering the legislative procedure, and that the Legislative Council is going to pass the bill.
Earlier, the authorities compiled suggestions submitted by the public on the bill and proposed some revisions on Jan. 18. Even though the compendium distorted some opinions, the revisions mesmerized some people because they contained some necessary compromises. But only after the bill was made public did people truly understand how deceitful and unscrupulous the authorities had been.
When the government released the consultation document in September of last year, the Hong Kong Bar Association was fiercely against the government hastily rolling out a blue bill. The association demanded a second round of consultation with the public in the form of a "white bill" (a consultation paper) because it already saw that "the devil is in the details." Legal circles and all walks of Hong Kong society would therefore need sufficient time to study and understand the complex contents of the proposed provisions before they could find inadequacies and fill the legal loopholes. But the authorities categorically rejected that demand.
Link (http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/edit/archives/2003/03/01/196372)
Beijing ruins Hong Kong's liberties
By Paul Lin 林保&#33 775;
Saturday, Mar 01, 2003,Page 8
The people of Hong Kong were filled with agony on Valentine's Day. The Special Administrative Region government chose to publish the National Security (Legislative Provisions) bill, the so-called "blue bill," (draft law) on that day -- a clear indication that legislation aimed at implementing Article 23 of the Basic Law, which curbs Hong Kong's freedoms and rights, is entering the legislative procedure, and that the Legislative Council is going to pass the bill.
Earlier, the authorities compiled suggestions submitted by the public on the bill and proposed some revisions on Jan. 18. Even though the compendium distorted some opinions, the revisions mesmerized some people because they contained some necessary compromises. But only after the bill was made public did people truly understand how deceitful and unscrupulous the authorities had been.
When the government released the consultation document in September of last year, the Hong Kong Bar Association was fiercely against the government hastily rolling out a blue bill. The association demanded a second round of consultation with the public in the form of a "white bill" (a consultation paper) because it already saw that "the devil is in the details." Legal circles and all walks of Hong Kong society would therefore need sufficient time to study and understand the complex contents of the proposed provisions before they could find inadequacies and fill the legal loopholes. But the authorities categorically rejected that demand.
Link (http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/edit/archives/2003/03/01/196372)