A China-appointed panel provoked dismay here Monday by approving a rollback of some of civil liberties when Hong Kong returns to Chinese rule this summer.
However, it stopped short of endorsing the full package of recommended changes. It left broadcasting laws intact, along with the legislature's power to summon officials to testify at hearings.The changes were first unveiled here in October 1995 to strong protest. They were largely approved at a weekend meeting in Beijing of the legal subgroup of the Preparatory Committee, which is preparing the July 1 change of sovereignty from Britain to China, Xinhua, the official Chinese news agency, reported.
The Hong Kong government called them "misguided recommendations" that would "send a most worrying signal to the people of Hong Kong and the international community."
Speaking on Hong Kong radio, legislator Emily Lau said the public, which was not consulted, "will feel very oppressed because they fear that the new regime would be very intolerant."
Long ruled by colonial decree, Hong Kong has built up a body of civil rights legislation in the past five years. China clearly wants to reverse at least some of these laws, arguing they were passed without its consent.
It seeks to abolish the power of Hong Kong's 1991 Bill of Rights, contending that the Basic Law, the constitution it has written for Hong Kong, is supreme.
The panel recommended repeals of amendments that: take away police powers to ban peaceful demonstrations; relax controls on links with foreign organizations; and protect the privacy of personal data on citizens.
The committee also recommended rolling back electoral reforms that in 1995 brought about Hong Kong's first all-elected, all-Chinese legislature. China plans to disband the legislature and hold fresh elections next year.