AFP: Hong Kong's Chan calls for debate on subversion law

Hong Kong's former chief secretary Anson Chan has called for further consultation before controversial anti-subversion laws are passed.

"Its impact on our freedom and our lifestyle is far-reaching. We should encourage the widest possible debate," she said in speech to the Heritage Foundation in Washington which was carried by the South China Morning Post Thursday.

Chan, one of the most important political figures in the period since the 1997 handover of the former British colony to China, has been tagged the "conscience of Hong Kong" by some in the media.

Of the draft legislation, she said that at first glance the government's proposals seemed balanced and generally reasonable.

But she added that the public would find it reassuring if the government was to agree to publish a white paper for further consultation before it went to the legislature.

She noted the government's assurance that it would consider carefully all views expressed, but added "the devil is in the detail....it is important to get the legislation right rather than rush to meet a deadline."

The three-month consultation for the proposed anti-subversion laws will end in December and the government hopes to have it enacted in the middle of next year after debates in the legislature.

The new national security laws will outlaw treason, secession, sedition and subversion, and offences will carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

The proposed laws have strong support from the Hong Kong legislature's pro-Beijing and pro-business parties.

Chan called on Hong Kong's people to have the courage to speak up to defend their freedoms, saying "we will not serve the best interests of our country, nor those of our children and grandchildren, if we allow them to be gradually chipped away for the sake of expedience, or a short-sighted solution to a far-reaching problem."

Chan has long enjoyed strong support among the population at large. She was the first Chinese woman to join the former colonial civil service and became the first Chinese person to become its head during the last days of the British administration.

Chan, who was seen as a symbol of continuity in post-1997 Hong Kong, resigned from office in January 2001 amid rumours of disagreements between herself, chief execuive Tung Chee-hwa and Beijing.

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