 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
China tells Britain not to make 'random comments' about Hong Kong
Beijing (AFP) Jul 27, 2006 China urged Britain Thursday to refrain from making "random comments" on Hong Kong, reacting to a report from London saying little democratic progress was being made in the former British colony. "Hong Kong affairs are China's domestic affairs, and foreign governments should not make random comments about them," foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said in a statement posted on the ministry's website. The remark was in response to the British government's release Tuesday of a six-monthly report arguing that Hong Kong had made "little or no visible progress" towards democratic reforms. Liu countered this by saying China supported an "orderly and gradual" progress towards democracy in Hong Kong, based on the Basic Law, the city's mini-constitution. "The people of Hong Kong are enjoying unprecedented democratic rights legally granted to them," Liu said. Hong Kong's last governor, Chris Patten, during a visit to the city this month also criticized its slow democratic development. He urged Beijing to give a clear timeline when Hong Kong will be given the right to choose its own leaders, currently selected by a 800-member committee mostly loyal to Beijing. Half of the 60-seat legislature is directly elected. Although democratic reforms are enshrined in the Basic Law which came into force when it reverted to Chinese rule in 1997, the government has refused to set a timetable for universal suffrage. Beijing ruled out a transition to full democracy by 2008, fearing sudden change would destabilize its richest city and encourage pro-democracy groups on the mainland. Related Links
China issues guidelines against police torture
Beijing (AFP) Jul 26, 2006 China on Wednesday issued guidelines aimed at stopping the use of torture by police in dealing with suspects and criminals, state media said. Previous regulations only prohibited law enforcement and judicial officers from using "brutal means" to extract confessions without explaining what that meant, Xinhua said. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
