September 24 2004
Pro-Democracy Lawmakers Invited to Beijing
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20040924_58.html
China Invites Some Pro-Democracy Lawmakers to Beijing; Critics Call It Attempt to Split Opposition
HONG KONG Sept. 24, 2004 — China has taken the unprecedented step of inviting some pro-democracy lawmakers to Beijing for National Day celebrations, but critics charged Friday that others were excluded in an attempt to split the opposition here.
“It’s the same old tactic, to divide and conquer,” said Leung Kwok-hung, a veteran activist known as “Longhair” who scored a stunning election victory this month thanks to a big anti-government protest vote.
Leung is not on the guest list for events in Beijing marking the 55th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China, but mainland officials invited about 10 other pro-democracy legislators-elect to join a Hong Kong delegation led by Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa.
“I believe it is a goodwill gesture,” said Audrey Eu, an attorney and pro-democracy legislator who won re-election and will attend the celebrations in Beijing. “It is a good thing and I’m sure the people of Hong Kong will welcome it.”
China has long viewed pro-democracy figures here as troublemakers and many have been banned from the mainland.
But Beijing has become more conciliatory recently, apparently to help ease the political strife that has gripped the territory for months. Many Hong Kong people are demanding full democracy, but Beijing intervened by ruling in April that Hong Kong residents cannot directly elect their next leader in 2007 or all lawmakers in 2008.
Eu said a packed agenda for next Thursday’s events in Beijing may leave no time for substantive discussions with mainland officials but she will voice support for democracy if possible. Ordinary Hong Kong residents have no say in choosing their leader, but they picked 30 of 60 lawmakers in the election this month and sided mostly with the pro-democracy camp.
“If there are any opportunities, we will try to express the Hong Kong people’s wishes for universal suffrage and full democracy,” Eu told The Associated Press by telephone.
Eu played down worries about splits in the pro-democracy camp, saying that if people stick to their principles then Beijing’s actions won’t change anybody’s mind.
Others who weren’t invited include prominent Democratic Party lawmaker Martin Lee, staunch anti-government critic Emily Lau and former radio host Albert Cheng.
Beijing apparently invited just one member of the Democratic Party, lawmaker Sin Chung-kai.
“I hope more pro-democracy figures and Democratic Party members will be invited to the receptions,” Sin said by telephone. The Democratic Party is the biggest opposition group in Hong Kong, but most pro-democracy lawmakers are independents or come from smaller parties.
No official guest list was immediately available. But the pro-Beijing newspaper Wen Wei Po, viewed as reliable on China’s official line, said 10 pro-democracy figures had been invited, along with all legislators-elect from pro-Beijing and pro-business parties.
The Hong Kong politicians will return Thursday night, so they can be back in Hong Kong for a local National Day celebration the next morning an event that is open to all of the legislators-elect.
Outspoken activist Leung, who normally protests outside such functions, said Friday he plans to attend and hopes to confront Hong Kong-based mainland officials about China’s one-party political system and to demand atonement for Beijing’s deadly crackdown on the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy movement in June 1989.
Pro-democracy figures claimed 25 legislative seats in the recent election, a gain of three.
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