LAW and order is very precious to the Hong Kong people. It is also a fundamental factor which sets the colony apart from the rest of China.
The March 18 incursion into Hong Kong territorial waters by Chinese security launches, in which Hong Kong people and vessels were forcibly detained and removed, has sent shivers down the spines of many people. It may well mark the beginning of the end of the rule of law.
The local people's feeling of anger and frustration is compounded by the Government's reluctance to take a firm and robust stance. It is unclear whether the two Hong Kong men and their lighter and tugboat, with 40-odd second-hand cars on board, were abducted by the Zhuhai security officers in Hong Kong or Chinese territorial waters, or whether any shots were fired.
Zhuhai officials told the Hong Kong police that the two men were suspected of being engaged in smuggling activity and were arrested in Chinese waters, but were brought into Hong Kong waters as they were being escorted to Zhuhai. They also said the two men would be tried in China.
Governor Chris Patten said there had been a change in the Chinese version of what had happened but said if the men and vessels were being forcibly escorted through Hong Kong waters, the jurisdiction was a matter for Hong Kong. He expressed the forlorn hope that the men and vessels would be returned to Hong Kong as soon as possible.
Since 1990 there had been 80 incursions into Hong Kong waters by the Chinese authorities. The latest is the first this year. Some people caught up in these distressing circumstances dare not publicise their plight for fear of aggravating the situation.