Hong Kong Protests After Premier’s Visit

HONG KONG -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited the families of SARS victims Tuesday and signed a trade pact aimed at boosting Hong Kong’s battered economy, hours before hundreds of thousands of unhappy citizens poured into the streets to participate in the biggest anti-government rally since the territory’s return to Chinese rule in 1997.

The huge demonstration came after the end of Wen’s two-day trip to Hong Kong -- his first since taking office in March -- to celebrate the sixth anniversary of the hand-over. But the real target of the protest was Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa. The shipping-tycoon-turned-politician is accused of currying favor with mainland officials to divert attention from the economy and a series of high-profile political blunders.

Spurring Tuesday’s populist outpouring was a proposed national security law in Hong Kong that would criminalize the disclosure of protected information and state secrets, allow the government to ban local branches of groups labeled subversive by the mainland and give police the right to search people’s homes without a warrant.

Police estimated that 350,000 people participated in the peaceful protest, held in scorching heat.

“I think China is moving in the right direction, it’s going to be more open,” said Lawrence Fung, a 53-year-old banker and demonstrator, whose black T-shirt was covered with colorful protest stickers. “Unfortunately, Hong Kong is going the other direction.”

On Monday, the British government joined the United States in criticizing the proposed national security law. They argue that the law would erode the independence guaranteed Hong Kong under the “one country, two systems” principle. Even normally publicity-shy business leaders, including the local chapter of the American Chamber of Commerce, have voiced concerns that the law will stifle the flow of information that is critical to Hong Kong’s role as a financial and legal gateway.

Opposition leaders acknowledged Tuesday that the Hong Kong government controls enough votes to pass the legislation, which is scheduled for a vote next Wednesday in the Legislative Council. But they hope that Tuesday’s outpouring of unhappiness and the criticism from abroad will pressure Hong Kong officials into reconsidering their position.

In a statement released late Tuesday, Tung said he was “very concerned” by the showing of discontent and wanted to make it clear that the “rights and freedoms which have been enjoyed by the people of Hong Kong will not be affected” by the passage of Article 23. However, he also said the government was obligated by law to create such legislation to protect national security.

In Beijing, a Chinese government spokesman said the proposed law reflected the will of Hong Kong residents and was “democratic, clear and transparent.”

The Chinese premier did his best to persuade his “compatriots in Hong Kong” that China intends to be a partner in Hong Kong’s prosperity, not its undoing. At an anniversary reception Tuesday, Wen assured the audience that Hong Kong’s citizens were “masters of their own destiny.”

Wen skirted any potentially confrontational situations, disappointing students when he refused to answer questions after a speech Monday at the University of Hong Kong. Instead, he paid a visit to the Amoy Garden housing project, where he offered his sympathy to the families of SARS victims and rocked a 3-month-old baby whose mother died of severe acute respiratory syndrome.

The premier also presided over the signing of a trade pact that gives Hong Kong companies preferential access to the mainland market through lower tariffs and expanded opportunities in industries such as advertising, transportation and tourism.

But Wen’s goodwill tour did little to quell the unhappiness with the Tung administration, which has reached a boiling point in the debate over the security bill. Tung’s administration has also been criticized for not adequately protecting health workers during the SARS outbreak and for failing to address the economic malaise that has pushed the unemployment rate to a record 8.3%.

Victoria Park, the launching point for Tuesday’s demonstration, was a sea of black shirts, colorful anti-Tung posters and sweaty faces as the heat and humidity soared.

Like many of her fellow protesters, Liu Cheng Kit and her 14-year-old son, Raymond, had never attended a political demonstration. But the 44-year-old delivery worker, an immigrant from Macao who moved here 16 years ago, said she wanted to ensure that a “large voice” of protest was delivered to the Tung government. She said the proposed national security law would undermine her basic rights, including the ability to speak frankly without fear of retaliation.

Liu said she wanted her teenage son to understand that a freedom lost may not be easily regained. “It’s very bad for the next generation. But I have nowhere else to go.”

Among the most threatened are people such as Wong Tung Yin, a six-year member of Falun Gong, a spiritual movement labeled a subversive threat by the mainland government. Until now, the several hundred Falun Gong adherents in Hong Kong have been allowed to operate openly, according to Wong. But they fear that the Hong Kong government will ban their activities if the new security law is passed.

Opposition legislators hope that they can turn discontented citizens into a constituency for political reform. They are pushing the government to hold an open election for chief executive in 2007 and for the legislature the following year. Tung, who was reelected in 2002 for a five-year term, was selected by an 800-member election commission with close ties to Beijing.