South China Morning Post: Qian's comments do not bode well for religious groups ...

As a consequence, the principle of "one country, two systems" is a mere illusion. People's fears have been exacerbated by the comments of Vice-Premier Qian Qichen. The development of democracy and human rights in Hong Kong during Tung Chee-hwa's second term as Chief Executive will be retarded thanks to Beijing.

Mr Qian said he was happy for Hong Kong to continue with its existing electoral model with functional constituency seats in the Legislative Council. He wants the present system to remain intact instead of permitting Hong Kong to move towards a directly-elected legislature and chief executive after 2007. The Basic Law states there will be open consultation with the people of the community about future elections beyond 2007. So why did Mr Qian express his views rather than allowing the people of Hong Kong to decide what they want?

Mr Qian also said Falun Gong should be outlawed in Hong Kong if it maintained ties with foreign groups after the enactment of an anti-subversion law. We, as a Christian group, feel this view threatens religious freedom in Hong Kong for all religious bodies. Most Christian groups in the SAR, directly or indirectly, have ties with overseas churches and mission boards.

Religious freedoms in Hong Kong and those on the mainland are based on two different standards. Forcing mainland practices on Hong Kong would not only violate the "one country, two systems" principle, but would damage Hong Kong as an international city. Human rights and religious freedom are respected in an international city. Although Secretary for Justice Elsie Leung said on Thursday that the law was "not aimed at imposing sanctions on any group" she would not clarify whether Falun Gong would be targeted under anti-subversion legislation.

We would like to ask Mr Tung and his new ministers the following questions:

Will you uphold the principle of Hong Kong's autonomy and freedom of religion, or is your final objective to seek Beijing's approval and blessing?

Will you stand up for Hong Kong when Beijing signals the direction in which Hong Kong is to move, especially regarding its democratic development and respect for human rights? Whose interests do you really represent?