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LRT PROTEST
The media reported in good coverage a half-hour sit-in protest by eight members of the Tuen Mun and Yuen Long district boards yesterday against an "unreasonable" fare increase on the LRT. The reports noted that the DB members sat on the tracks of the LRT at Tuen Mun town centre in a bid to stop the imminent fare increase.
No disruption to LRT service was reported as the company had already diverted the services via another track. The LRT authorities said that the protest on the tracks was illegal and the authorities reserved the right to
the protestors. But it said that it had adopted an attitude of tolerance. The fare increase would go ahead.
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INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS CONVENANTS
Tin Tin Daily News reported in its lead story that the Chinese authorities were considering becoming a signatory to the international human rights convenants in order to improve its image in the international community. However, the report noted that China would not consider the "anti-revolutionary" provisions in its laws which people overseas considered an infringement on human rights.
Quoting reliable sources from Peking, the paper reported that Peking wished to formally propose at the end of the year that it would become a signatory to the international human rights convenants. It would be prepared to abide by the relevant regulations including reporting to the UN committee on human rights on the human rights situation in China and attend the human rights hearings.
The sources said that the Chinese communist party chief, Jiang Zemin, was personally handling the matter and the proposal would be brought to light during his visit to the USSR in the middle of next month.
The report said that as the US would consider in June whether or not to renew China's MFN status, the disclosure of the plan next month would become part of the efforts to secure renewal of the MFN status.
The report quoted a senior Law lecturer of HKU, Albert Chen, as saying that if this came true, HK's human rights situation after 1997 would be subject to monitoring of the international community. Mr Chen said that the development would involve only international monitoring and would not affect the enactment of the Bill of Rights.
TAIWAN VISITORS
Tin Tin Daily News, quoting sources from Taipei, reported that the HK Immigration authorities had agreed that in the future Taiwan transit visitors at Kai Tak would be allowed to stay in hotels as long as they had the guarantee of the airline companies concerned. This was despite the fact that the visitors did not have visas entitling them to land in HK.
However, the report noted that the technical details for the arrangement had yet to be worked out.