Bluezoo
09-25-2005, 05:54 PM
Hong Kong Lawmakers Cause Stir in China
By WILLIAM FOREMAN, Associated Press Writer
GUANGZHOU, China - Lawmakers in China rarely yell "Long live democracy!" in crowded hotel lobbies. They don't wear T-shirts condemning the bloody crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protesters in 1989. And they certainly don't challenge Communist leaders to scrap one-party rule and hold elections.
But that's what happened Sunday when members of Hong Kong's legislature — including some long banned from the mainland — made history by a whirlwind two-day tour of China's Guangdong province, once known as Canton.
The trip created some highly unusual scenes in a country where Chinese lawmakers usually obey the Communist Party and avoid criticizing the leadership in public while surrounded by foreign reporters. Even more unusual: The ubiquitous security officials allowed them to get away with it.
For years, Beijing warned Hong Kong's outspoken, feisty lawmakers that they needed to be more patriotic now that it was part of China.
Hong Kong was a British colony for more than 150 years before returning to Communist Chinese rule in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" formula that promised the capitalist city wide autonomy.
But China, like Britain, has refused full democracy for Hong Kong. The city's leader is now chosen by a pro-Beijing committee, and only half the legislators are directly elected. The rest of the seats are filled by special interest groups.
China has snubbed pro-democracy figures and barred die-hards from visiting the mainland.
But a shift began about a month ago when Hong Kong's new leader, Donald Tsang, made a surprise announcement that he had invited the entire 60-member legislature to join him on a tour of Guangdong — one of China's two biggest manufacturing bases, powered by investment from Hong Kong companies.
Margaret Ng, a pro-democracy lawmaker, said China's willingness to host the lawmakers was significant.
"I think the whole event itself sent a very strong message," she said after the trip's first day. "That message is that Beijing has fundamentally changed its position. From a situation of isolation to a situation of trying to work with each other."
China invited all the lawmakers, even the unpredictable Leung Kwok-hung, a long-haired man famous for shouting democracy slogans and getting arrested at street protests.
He showed up on the tour bus Sunday wearing a T-shirt with a lone man stopping a line of Chinese tanks during the suppression of the Tiananmen Square protests — a subject that still cannot be debated openly on the mainland. The T-shirt's slogan read, "The people will never forget."
But when Leung tried to wear a Tiananmen Square shirt into a meeting at a luxury hotel with Zhang Dejiang — Guangdong's top Communist leader — security officers stopped him. Leung got in after he put on another shirt and he said he delivered a speech to Zhang about democracy and Tiananmen.
He said he told the Communist leader, "It's wrong to say that the Hong Kong, Chinese people don't deserve democracy."
After briefing reporters in the crowded hotel lobby, Leung shouted, "Long live democracy!" as passers-by stared in surprise.
Before beginning his closed-door meeting with the legislators, Zhang said in a speech, "We're receiving our visitors with great sincerity."
But Emily Lau — a pro-democracy lawmaker who said she was banned from the mainland for 10 years — was disappointed with the meeting.
She then raised an issue that's usually discussed in private in China.
"I'm not saying we should overthrow the Communist Party, but we are against one- party rule," she said. "If the Communist Party is so good, surely it will be elected in an election."
For the full text, go to:
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050925/ap_on_re_as/hong_kong_china_1
By WILLIAM FOREMAN, Associated Press Writer
GUANGZHOU, China - Lawmakers in China rarely yell "Long live democracy!" in crowded hotel lobbies. They don't wear T-shirts condemning the bloody crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protesters in 1989. And they certainly don't challenge Communist leaders to scrap one-party rule and hold elections.
But that's what happened Sunday when members of Hong Kong's legislature — including some long banned from the mainland — made history by a whirlwind two-day tour of China's Guangdong province, once known as Canton.
The trip created some highly unusual scenes in a country where Chinese lawmakers usually obey the Communist Party and avoid criticizing the leadership in public while surrounded by foreign reporters. Even more unusual: The ubiquitous security officials allowed them to get away with it.
For years, Beijing warned Hong Kong's outspoken, feisty lawmakers that they needed to be more patriotic now that it was part of China.
Hong Kong was a British colony for more than 150 years before returning to Communist Chinese rule in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" formula that promised the capitalist city wide autonomy.
But China, like Britain, has refused full democracy for Hong Kong. The city's leader is now chosen by a pro-Beijing committee, and only half the legislators are directly elected. The rest of the seats are filled by special interest groups.
China has snubbed pro-democracy figures and barred die-hards from visiting the mainland.
But a shift began about a month ago when Hong Kong's new leader, Donald Tsang, made a surprise announcement that he had invited the entire 60-member legislature to join him on a tour of Guangdong — one of China's two biggest manufacturing bases, powered by investment from Hong Kong companies.
Margaret Ng, a pro-democracy lawmaker, said China's willingness to host the lawmakers was significant.
"I think the whole event itself sent a very strong message," she said after the trip's first day. "That message is that Beijing has fundamentally changed its position. From a situation of isolation to a situation of trying to work with each other."
China invited all the lawmakers, even the unpredictable Leung Kwok-hung, a long-haired man famous for shouting democracy slogans and getting arrested at street protests.
He showed up on the tour bus Sunday wearing a T-shirt with a lone man stopping a line of Chinese tanks during the suppression of the Tiananmen Square protests — a subject that still cannot be debated openly on the mainland. The T-shirt's slogan read, "The people will never forget."
But when Leung tried to wear a Tiananmen Square shirt into a meeting at a luxury hotel with Zhang Dejiang — Guangdong's top Communist leader — security officers stopped him. Leung got in after he put on another shirt and he said he delivered a speech to Zhang about democracy and Tiananmen.
He said he told the Communist leader, "It's wrong to say that the Hong Kong, Chinese people don't deserve democracy."
After briefing reporters in the crowded hotel lobby, Leung shouted, "Long live democracy!" as passers-by stared in surprise.
Before beginning his closed-door meeting with the legislators, Zhang said in a speech, "We're receiving our visitors with great sincerity."
But Emily Lau — a pro-democracy lawmaker who said she was banned from the mainland for 10 years — was disappointed with the meeting.
She then raised an issue that's usually discussed in private in China.
"I'm not saying we should overthrow the Communist Party, but we are against one- party rule," she said. "If the Communist Party is so good, surely it will be elected in an election."
For the full text, go to:
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050925/ap_on_re_as/hong_kong_china_1