FC: Hong Kong techies oppose "security" laws required by Beijing

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

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Date: Tue, 26 Nov 2002 12:39:36 +0800
From: "Robert Clark" <rclark () advanstar com>
To: declan () well com
Subject: Hong Kong SMS, hyperlinks may be seditious

Declan

The tech sector has joined the swell of those opposed to the Hong Kong
government's Article 23 security legislation - draft laws against,
treason, sedition, subversion, secession required by Beijing.

The legislator who represents IT and telecom sectors, Sin Chung-kai, has
warned that cellphone messages, hyperlinks and computer games, not to
mention the presently-unregulated online news sector, would fall under
the definition of seditious publications (original statement is in
Chinese - herewith our story):
http://www.telecomasia.net/telecomasia/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=39170



The Hong Kong Journalists' Association has called for the sedition laws
to include public interest and prior publication defences.  It draws
particular attention to the classification as state secret "information
relating to relations between the central authorities of the PRC and the
HKSAR":
http://www.hkja.org.hk/frontpage/cen_index.htm


The Hong Kong government defends the proposed laws by saying they are in
line with the Intenational Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
However, it refuses to issue a "white bill", giving precise details of
what will be in the laws.

The US State Department has joined those calling for publication of the
draft in full, and has expressed its concern about the "unlawful
disclosures" measures.

http://www.usconsulate.org.hk/ushk/state/2002/112101.htm


Robert Clark
Telecom Asia
Hong Kong




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