SCMP: Gag fears may spark radical protests [Excerpt]

June 4, 2001

Growing fears that freedom of assembly and expression are being eroded could spark more radical protests, the Government was warned yesterday.

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Speaking at RTHK's City Forum, Law Yuk-kai, director of Human Rights Monitor, said the recent controversies showed Hong Kong had failed to defend freedom of expression. "There were three prosecutions against protesters in the past week," he said. "We can't help but wonder if the freedom of expression is being increasingly curbed."

Referring to a warning by Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa last month against planned Falun Gong protests at the forum, Hong Kong Polytechnic University applied social studies assistant professor Chung Kim-wah said such "political labeling" would provoke discord. "This kind of 'pre-warning' will split the community and stir up instability," he said. He added that if people were not allowed to protest, they would "resort to other ways to vent their pressure," leading to more radical outbursts.

Joseph Cheng Yu-shek, professor of political science at City University, said the Government ought to be more lenient in allowing people to vent their anger.

"Enforcement was lenient in the past," he said. "But now people clearly feel such balance has been lost. It will have an adverse impact on social stability if there are no channels to air grievances."

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