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Charter and were not valid. He also quoted section 4 of Article 2 in the UN Charter which said all member nations should not infringe the territorial integrity or political independence of a country by using threat or military might or other means which were against the UN principle. He said the three treaties governing HK must be invalidated because they were a national shame. Chinese people's stance on this issue was unequivocal.
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PRESS LINES:
Besides strong criticism levelled at Britain and claims concerning validity of the treaties, the left-wing press also stepped up propaganda in an attempt to swing public opinion in China's favour. This trend was discerned over the weekend when the three principal left- wing papers published no fewer than 20 articles, including editorials, commentaries and letters on HK's future. Perhaps to counteract the pro-Taiwan Kung Sheung Daily News campaign against self-rule by publishing letters from its readers, the left-wing Wen Wei Po launched on 29 January the "Society Forum", a column which invited public comment on HK's prospects and local social issues. The first article was by the "New Hong Kong Society", which according to the editor's note has been formed by post-secondary graduates to study HK's future and explore social reforms. The article criticised HK's education system and called for democratisation of policy-making in this area. The existing process of formulating policies which only involved the Board and the Government was against democracy. It demanded among other things greater representation on the Board; teachers consultative councils; and an overhaul of the present syllabi and education system. As part of its strategy to promote self-rule, the paper published an interview with a Catholic priest, Father Tsui Kam-yiu, who spoke in favour of China's regaining sovereignty and the self-rule proposal. Along a similar line, Ta Kung Pao carried an interview with Mr. Martin Lee, QC, who said professionals such as lawyers, doctors and engineers would still have a future in HK under the self-rule option. The article included praise for the independence of the judiciary. The two papers also published letters from their readers who supported self-administration and rejected continuing British rule here.
Earlier, a Wen Wei Po commentary said HK had become prosperous because it was good at making use of China which was a giant lying fast asleep on its side. HK had been draining the essence of this giant to get rich by monopolising the re-export trade with China when western countries imposed a trade embargo on China. The New Evening Post said the SAR title would apply to HK 14 years from now. Whatever proposals would be drawn up for HK, Chinese policy makers and patriots in HK shared similar views. The principles were that national dignity should be upheld, economic development maintained, history and reality respected and the provision of the best facilities for the public. The left-wing Tin Fung Yat Po said squandering $70 million of public money was a good example of whether the British people could administer HK properly.
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