Henry,
Your thoughts on this, if you please.
Gary
Thousands Rally in Hong Kong; the Answer Is a Rebuff
By KEITH BRADSHER
ONG KONG, July 13 - Thousands of demonstrators occupied one of Hong Kong's
most chic downtown avenues this evening to appeal for democracy, but the
Hong Kong government responded less than two hours later by announcing that
it would not accelerate its four-year plan to review possible constitutional
changes.
The government statement tonight was the first official response to calls at
a series of rallies that the general public be allowed to vote for Hong
Kong's chief executive and all members of the legislature.
The statement was also the latest of several signs that Beijing and its
appointees here are hardening their positions as attendance at recent
rallies has fallen far below the 500,000 marchers who flooded Hong Kong's
streets on July 1.
Last Monday, Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa reluctantly postponed his plans
to enact stringent internal-security laws, one target of the protests here.
But tonight his administration took a more unyielding position on democratic
reforms.
The statement issued tonight said the government would consult the public
about constitutional changes in 2004 or 2005, and would pursue legislation
in 2006. Changes will take effect after 2007, the statement also noted. This
means that any changes that are made will not affect the selection of the
next chief executive, who will be chosen in 2007 for a five-year term.
Yeung Sum, the chairman of the Democratic Party here, said he was
disappointed that the government had not advanced its timetable.
"The message is loud and clear from the people of Hong Kong: they want a
full democracy," he said in a telephone interview tonight.
Hong Kong's Basic Law, the closest thing the territory has to a
constitution, vaguely calls for the government to pursue greater democracy
by 2007, a schedule that in theory could allow changes that would affect how
the next chief executive is selected. Currently, an 800-member Election
Committee, dominated by pro-Beijing businesspeople and professionals,
chooses the chief executive and 6 of the 60 members of the Legislative
Council.
Industries and professions like insurance and the law select 30 more members
of the legislature, while the general public is allowed to vote for only 24
members.
The security legislation has drawn the greatest attention here. But calls
for a broader democracy have been important from the start and have been
emphasized more in the days since Mr. Tung postponed the security bill.
Organizers estimated that this evening's protest drew 20,000 people. The
police said that attendance peaked at 9,000, while adding that some people
might have left early or arrived late. A pro-democracy demonstration on
Wednesday attracted 30,000 to 50,000 people.
The Democratic Development Network, which organized today's rally, is a
smaller coalition than the Human Civil Rights Front, which organized rallies
on July 1 and last Wednesday.
A team of intelligence, security and diplomatic officials is visiting from
Beijing to assess the mood here. Standing at the edge of the rally, Mr.
Yeung, the chairman of the Democratic Party, said members of the team had
interviewed at least two politicians in his party, while adding that he had
not been personally contacted.
"They've asked us who organized the marches and why so many people showed
up," he said in an interview at the rally.
In an editorial on Thursday, the official China Daily urged democracy
advocates to go slow.
"It is high time for the `democrats' to cool down," the English-language
newspaper said. "The rule of the game is to know where and when to stop. If
they cling obstinately to their course of creating disturbance in Hong Kong,
they will finally find themselves standing opposed to the people."
It is a measure of how peaceful the rallies have been that a Van Cleef &
Arpels store displayed diamond jewelry today in its windows facing the rally
on Chater Road, with the clerks making no move to pull down the store's
protective steel shutters. A Rolls-Royce showroom behind the stage here was
similarly unprotected.
The leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Hong Kong, Bishop Joseph Zen,
stepped up his activism today by briefly addressing the rally and endorsing
the calls for greater democracy. Bishop Zen held a prayer vigil with
Protestant leaders before the July 1 march but did not take part in the
march itself; he missed last Wednesday's rally because of a trip to Rome.
In nine days, Hong Kong will receive its first visit by a head of state
since the protests began. Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain will be here
July 22-24, after meetings with China's leaders in Beijing and Shanghai July
21-22, the British Consulate here announced on Friday. British officials
have actively followed events in Hong Kong ever since Britain handed it over
to China in 1997.
At this evening's rally, Wong Hui-yan, a 46-year-old teacher, said she had
never been to a public demonstration until July 1 but had attended each one
since then. Asked why, she responded, "To fight for freedom."