Our Embassy in Peking believe that the episode may have been staged with a view to the current FAC enquiry. The incident has been widely and wildly reported in the Hong Kong press and has gained Miss Lau and her group the considerable publicity they were clearly seeking. They in their turn claim that the action by the Chinese authorities indicates clearly the Chinese wish to stifle free expression on human rights issues.
The Embassy in Peking have now made a low key approach to the MFA to express concern over these events and to point out that the negative public reaction to a peaceful demonstration of Hong Kong's concerns has aroused considerable anxiety in the territory about the PRC's attitude to human rights in Hong Kong in general.
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We welcome the fact that the petition has now been forwarded to the NPC and that the Chinese have stressed that freedom to petition exists if adequate notice is given of the intention to do so.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.