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366
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
With these remarks, Mr. Chairman, I support the motion.
MR. CHAN KWOK-LEUNG (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, the theme of my speech today is mainly on the need to continue our pursuit of 'Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong' and 'a high degree of autonomy'. However, after hearing the speech of Mr. Albert Lai who labelled the demonstrators showing up on the election day of the Chief Executive of the Special Administrative Region (SARCE) as offenders of law, I think I should clarify the case first.
Unauthorized entry into the premises of others (including those within the confines of an embassy) is actually treated as a civil case. However, the Hong Kong Government is now prosecuting the demonstrators under the ordinance on unlawful assembly which is a piece of colonial legislation already repealed even in Britain itself. We must seriously consider why such a colonial legislation should be retained. This legislation is a deterrent against demonstrators and peaceful demonstrations as well as the expression of opinions and freedom. During the election of SARCE, the Police forbade the demonstrators to put up a demonstration in front of the Convention and Exhibition Centre. They ordered them to move to the opposite road so as to keep them away from the venue. In the circumstances, the demonstrators could just lie on the road which had already been blockaded by the Police. The Police had considered prosecuting the demonstrators on the charge of blocking the road. But in view that such a charge might have to be rescinded on grounds of insufficient evidence, they sued them for unlawful assembly instead. In the light of this, the kind of arbitrary judgment made by Mr. Lai who formed his opinion before understanding the true story may easily strangle the rights of peaceful demonstrators. I hope Mr. Lai would be more cautious and prudent in this respect.
Mr. Chairman, today's Annual Conventional Debate of the Urban Council is the one for 1997 which is in fact a year with unique meanings. At this moment, all sorts of feelings are welling up in my mind. This is because our home country is going to exercise its sovereignty over Hong Kong and a national humiliation that has already been inflicting the country for a hundred years will then be redressed. In fact, this should be an occasion for celebration. I and other members of the public earnestly hope that the end of the colonial rule will, on the one hand, lead to the implementation of the ideas of 'One country, two systems', 'Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong' and 'a high degree of autonomy' and, on the other hand, enable the people of Hong Kong to enjoy the rights of freedom and democracy they have been deprived of. However, when the Chinese Government is making preparation to set up the leading team of the SAR, the egoistic style of the ultra-left disillusions the people of Hong Kong and shatters their dreams for a high degree of autonomy as well as freedom and democracy. It also besmirches the glory of the historical reunification of our home country.
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