Top human rights activists are being drafted from overseas to ensure September's Legco elections will be subject to close international monitoring. European Parliament Justice and Human Rights Committee chairman Graham Watson will lead a delegation to observe the elections. In 1998, Mr Watson monitored the first Legco elections after the handover. Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor director Law Yuk-kai said: 'It is very important that the international community maintain an interest in our constitutional development and to ensure our elections are open, fair and clean.' The non-official watchdog, which will sponsor the visit, also plans to arrange meetings for delegates with Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, Constitutional Affairs Secretary Michael Suen Ming-yeung and Electoral Affairs Commission chairman Mr Justice Woo Kwok-hing. The group has been documenting the Election Committee subsector polls and will submit a final report on the Legco elections to international human rights associations. 'We believe this small-circle election last Sunday has breached the principle of universal suffrage enshrined in the international human rights treaty,' Mr Law said. The activist is particularly concerned about whether the Government will decide to have the electoral college elected last Sunday also choose the next chief executive in 2002. 'The thing is, Tung Chee-hwa can make a final decision after studying the composition of the committee. It would be fatal if a candidate can pick his own electorate.' The Government has said it will decide by the middle of next year whether the committee to choose six lawmakers in September will also select the chief executive. Sunday's poor turnout of 19.49 per cent compared to the keen interest by tycoons signing up as candidates also worried Mr Law. Electoral officials in Taiwan may be invited to see election practices in Hong Kong. Mr Law said he would approach the Taiwan Association for Human Rights to see if election officials could observe the Legco polls. 'Taiwan is notorious for its money politics. It would be good if they could come to see for themselves how we operate,' he said.
