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Human Rights Issues -- April 2000
Hong Kong reached an agreement on the Notification system with the Mainland (April, 2 2000)
(Article 6)
Secretary for Security Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee said that Hong Kong and Beijing have reached an agreement on a proposed notification-system. The details of this system were still under the considerations of both governments.
The five principles of extraditing fugitive offender were as follows:
1. The extradition agreement should be established by using discussion and
mutual judicial connection between Hong Kong and the Mainland to reach mutual
assistance.
2. The agreement should be established in accordance with the law of Hong Kong.
3. Both Hong Kong SAR Government and the Mainland Government should agree the
extradition of fugitive offenders.
4. The principle of "One country, Two System" and the differences
of judicial systems between Hong Kong and the Mainland should be taken into
consideration. Furthermore, a balance should be reached between the protection
of offender's personal interest and public interest.
5. The courts of Hong Kong should have jurisdiction over any offences happened
in Hong Kong. For any disputes on any cases, further principles should be established.
It is estimated that the notification system would be setup at the end of this year. The system required mainland public security officials to notify the families of Hong Kong detainees if any Hong Kong residents were detained or arrested. Besides, further agreements with Customs Bureau, the Supreme People's Procuratorate and court, which have powers to detain suspects, had to be established in the near future.
Wang Feng Chao warns Hong Kong Media on reporting Taiwan (April 13, 2000)
(Article 19)
A deputy director of the Central Government's Liaison Office, Mr Wang Teng Chao, warned Hong Kong mass media not to report any views advocating Taiwan's independence. Mr Wang pointed that Hong Kong media should toe the line of the mainland Government on major state policies and views of Taiwan's independence. According to SCMP dated April 13, Mr Wang said that the media should not treat speeches and views, which advocated Taiwan's independence as normal news. He said that the Hong Kong media had the responsibility to uphold integrity and sovereignty of the country and this was irrelevant to press freedom. Moreover, he said that no matter what one's motive was, even a purely objective report still has its bias. He urged that the HKSAR Government should speed up drafting anti-subversion legislation so as to put Article 23 of the Basic Law into practice.
Mr. Wang's comments triggered a strong opposition by the mass media and general public. Mr. Paul Cheung Kin-bor, chairman of the News Executives' Association, described Wang's remarks as a call for media self-censorship. Hong Kong Journalists' Association was shocked by Wang's opinion and claimed that it seriously undermined press freedom. The association said that the media held firmly towards principles such as newsworthiness and ethics in handling news so as to protect the public's right to know. The media strongly rejected to become a tool to uphold state policies.
Legislator Emily Lau Wai-hing said that it should have a big impact on Hong Kong's press freedom if the media had to operate under the orders of mainland officials. The Bar Association also claimed that press freedom was an inalienable right of the people of Hong Kong. Hong Kong Human Rights Commission urged the Government to publicly condemn the Liaison Office and local advisers of the Central Government for interfering press freedom.
Moreover, Mr. Wang opinion aroused Emily Lau, members of the Frontiers, to demonstrate outside the Central Government Offices to defend press freedom. Furthermore, two university students unions, City University and the University of Science and Technology, gave statements to condemn the serious violation of the mainland official towards press freedom.