Report to UN on human rights challenges Tung
The first post-handover report to the United Nations accuses Tung Chee-hwa's administration of human rights violations.
The draft report, prepared by the non-government Human Rights Commission, will be finalised for submission to the UN Human Rights Committee in the next few days.
A copy seen by the South China Morning Post says that the SAR Government has breached international rights covenants on elections, demonstrations, immigration and labour laws.
Wednesday's vote to repeal pre-handover, inter-citizen human rights provisions will be included in the report.
The commission said it hoped to present an alternative account to the world.
'We need to balance the biased version proclaimed by Mr Tung,' chairman Ho Hei-wah said.
The 100-page report noted the Government 'deprives human rights development with far-reaching structural and attitudinal changes'.
'Mr Tung told the international community that it was a 'smooth transition' . . . But we have observed that there is a regression of democracy and human rights protection,' it said.
Referring to the upcoming polls and the selection of the National People's Congress deputies, the report attacked Mr Tung for 'taking away the already limited voting power and rights to political participation'.
Other 'contraventions' included the abolition of pre-handover labour laws on collective bargaining and changes to the right of abode for mainland-born children.
'It is clear that social control is much stronger than before and the SAR Government intends to control and suppress the collective expression of voices that is deviant from the Government's opinion,' the report added.
It will be sent to the Human Rights Committee meeting in New York next month and the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Geneva in April.
A government spokesman said: 'We are as committed as ever to the protection of human rights.' He added that the track record had been 'very good'.
He said anyone was free to complain to the UN.
