Hong Kong Civil Human Rights Front

Press Release

March 27, 2004

Regarding the decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress to reinterpret Basic Law Annexes 1 and 2, the CHRF declare our positions as follows:

1.          We do not see any necessity for the Standing Committee of the NPC to make this decision since under the "one country, two systems" principle this decision should be made by the people of Hong Kong. After Hong Kong's people have made a decision, it is then that the NPC Standing Committee will have to decide if it accepts the will of Hong Kong's people or not.

2.          By interfering at the beginning of the process, the NPC Standing Committee damages the "one country, two systems" principle. This decision takes away the right of the Hong Kong people to decide our own political system. In effect, Hong Kong is becoming one country with one system.

3.          This decision of the NPC Standing Committee also affects the rule of law in Hong Kong as well as in the mainland, for the NPC Standing Committee is, in essence, rewriting the Basic Law through their reinterpretation. We state again that there is no need for this reinterpretation of the Basic Law as the Basic Law is already very clear.

Based on the above reasons, the Civil Human Rights Front demands:

1.          The Standing Committee of the NPC should retract its decision to reinterpret the Basic Law and allow the HKSAR government and Hong Kong's people to decide the changes that should be made to our political system.

2.          We urge the Hong Kong delegates to the NPC to respect and protect Hong Kong's people rights by requesting that this decision be retracted.

3.          The Hong Kong government and Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa should also request that the NPC Standing Committee retract this decision and should launch a proper public consultation to allow Hong Kong people to participate in deciding our future political system.

4.          We urge the people of Hong Kong not to give up our struggle and to unite to attain the political changes that we want.

Contact person:

Rose Wu

Convenor

6100-3564 (mobile)