UK Foreign Office Minister: “SAR Government should go the extra mile and ensure that no rights and freedoms are eroded”

Subtitle: UK Minister for China and Hong Kong issued a statement in the UK Parliament on the widely-opposed Article 23 in Hong Kong: “I made it clear that as a cosignatory to the joint declaration, we had a responsibility to ensure that the rights and freedoms enshrined in the joint declaration were maintained. I went on to say that any new legislation must be compatible with those rights and freedoms and with maintaining Hong Kong's autonomy”

Source:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/cmhansrd/cm021126/halltext/21126h01.htm#21126h01_spnew46

On 26/11/02, the UK House of Commons conducted a debate on the widely-opposed Article-23 legislation in Hong Kong. The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister responsible for China and Hong Kong, Mr. Bill Rammell, made a 10-minute statement on the issue.

The Minister pointed out: “the Sino-British joint declaration on Hong Kong…provides that Hong Kong should have a high degree of autonomy from mainland China,” In addition, “we have noted strong concerns among many sectors of Hong Kong society about the SAR Government's proposals”

He explained to the MPs: “I made it clear [in a public statement] that as a cosignatory to the joint declaration, we had a responsibility to ensure that the rights and freedoms enshrined in the joint declaration were maintained. I went on to say that any new legislation must be compatible with those rights and freedoms and with maintaining Hong Kong's autonomy.

“A key concern that has been raised through the process is the proposal to ban organisations in Hong Kong affiliated with mainland organisations proscribed on the mainland on national security grounds. … there remains a concern that the integrity and independence of Hong Kong's legal system … might be compromised by the proposal. We hope and have made it clear that the SAR Government will consider the issue carefully as they draft the legislation in detail.”

It is widely know that China wanted to target Falun Gong when pressurising the Hong Kong authority to enacted the law. The UK Foreign Office Minister referred to this point in his statement “The hon. Gentleman mentioned Falun Gong and I know that other hon. Members are also concerned about the impact of that provision on that organisation. The Hong Kong Secretary of Justice has said that the proposals are not aimed at particular groups, but we hope that the draft of the Bill will give us the fundamental reassurance that we need.”

The Minister explained other efforts that the UK government has made “We have closely followed the matter from the outset, and my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised article 23 as a general issue with the Chinese Vice-Premier and the Hong Kong Chief Executive during a visit to Hong Kong in July, before the SAR issued its consultation document. Subsequently, my right hon. Friend the Lord Chancellor discussed the proposals in some detail during a visit to Hong Kong in October, and yesterday I had the opportunity to raise some of those issues with the Hong Kong Financial Secretary.”

He also pointed out: “Concerns have also been expressed about the impact of the proposals for the media. ... any action that diminishes press freedom would not be in the interests of the people of Hong Kong.

“We have highlighted other concerns and we hope that the SAR Government will consider them carefully. …

“We are listening to some of the strongest critics of the SAR Government proposals. Last week, the Foreign Secretary and I met Martin Lee, the chairman of the Hong Kong Democratic party. We listened to his concerns, told him that we were following the case carefully and assured him of the importance that we attach to the issue.”

Regarding the widely called white paper on the exact wording of the legislation, the Minister said: “Calls have been made for a "white Bill" to set out the detailed legislative proposals before the draft legislation is introduced into the legislative council. Given the intense interest in the proposals, we hope that the SAR Government will provide for full and genuine public consultation on the detailed legislation, whether through a "white Bill" or through some other mechanism. I made that point to the [HK] Financial Secretary yesterday.

“…I agree that the ultimate aim is to bring forward democracy, but until that happens it is crucial that the SAR Government should go the extra mile and ensure that no rights and freedoms are eroded in Hong Kong.”