Independent legislator Elizabeth Wong Chien Chi-lien has accused Tsinghua University of discourtesy after it withdrew an invitation for her to speak at an Internet conference in Beijing next month. The independent legislator had been invited to lead a panel discussion at the conference on how government and community groups can use the Internet to reach the public. The conference organisers include Tsinghua University, China Education and Research Network, the University of Hong Kong, and the Polytechnic University. An official invitation from China's State Education Commission was sent to Mrs Wong, a New Zealand passport holder, in June in order for her to apply for a visa. However, on Monday she received a fax from Professor Wu Jianping of Tsinghua University, who is the chairman of the conference organising committee, saying the university had decided to withdraw the invitation. Professor Wu said Mrs Wong had filled in 'government' as her specialisation in her application form, yet she no longer worked for the Government. The legislator is a former secretary for health and welfare. However, Mrs Wong argued that: 'Everybody knows that the Legislative Council is part of the government structure.' Asked whether she believed the withdrawal came because of her stance against the provisional legislature, Mrs Wong said sarcastically: 'I think people with a little intelligence would think there's some relation, but I'm a complete fool.'
