The Hindu : Tung promises to review subversion bill

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 05, 2003

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International

Tung promises to review subversion bill

By P. S. Suryanarayana

BEIJING July 4. Hong Kong's Chief Executive, Tung Chee-hwa, is seeking to walk the tight rope in the territory's political arena, ahead of the anticipated legislative climax, some time next week on the question of the national security bill.

Mr. Tung today promised the opponents of the proposed legislation that he would carefully weigh the people's concerns before reaching a conclusion. Mr. Tung's promise would suggest the possibility of at least a delay, if not a U-turn, in respect of the planned legislation. However, he made it clear that the passage of the bill would be essential to fulfil the territory's virtual covenant with the People's Republic of China (PRC).

As "citizens'' of the PRC, he said, it was the duty of the people of Hong Kong to put in place a national security regime in accordance with the Basic Law, which governs the territory's political linkage with the PRC under the framework of "one country, two systems''. This aspect of Mr. Tung's comment would indicate that his heart is still very much set on the enactment of the bill as already contemplated.

At the heart of the present political controversy in Hong Kong lies the bill, whose anti-subversion provisions are viewed by a section of the people of the territory as a negation of their "freedoms''. With this aspect in mind, Mr. Tung today reassured his critics at home that the bill would not affect the liberties and human rights of the people.

The promise of a review comes in the context of plans by the bill's opponents to sustain and intensify their protest.

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