A SENIOR Chinese official last night accused the Hong Kong Government of treating New Territories natives like ''criminals'' and ''enemies''.
Xinhua (New China News Agency) deputy director Zhang Junsheng also charged the Government with fuelling last week's bitter confrontation over rural inheritance laws.
''There were several hundred police officers going to the New Territories and treating the locals as criminals and enemies. What is the advantage of doing so?'' he said.
''The problem now is someone creating conflicts, dividing Hong Kong people and breaking social stability. We hope the Hong Kong Government will not breach the Joint Declaration again, which states they are responsible for social stability,'' he said.
Mr Zhang described the issue of ancestral law in the New Territories as a historical problem.
''Do the majority of New Territories natives demand change?'' he asked.
