China Labour Action Express No. 15 (2003-01-16)

International trade union community says NO to Article 23

To date, over 1000 individual trade unionists from more than 70 trade unions all over the world have sent emails to HKSAR Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa, expressing their opposition to the proposed 'anti-subversion' laws in Hong Kong.

The international online protest campaign was jointly launched on January 3 by the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions, China Labour Bulletin and London-based trade union net, LabourStart. It calls on the international trade union community to stand with the workers in Hong Kong in "defense of the right to organise, protest and campaign for better working conditions and human rights" -- and fighting with the workers in mainland China.

The subversion charges laid against Liaoyang labour activists Yao Fuxin and Xiao Yunliang are sharp reminders of what the Chinese government sees as "protecting national security" which is hailed as the justification for enacting new anti-subversion laws in Hong Kong. In his trial yesterday, Yao was accused of communicating CLB's director Han Dongfang who was labelled as a 'hostile element'. The message is clear and chilling -- solidarity support, the backbone of the internationa labour movement, is also taken as politically hostile and punishable by laws on national security!

See CLB and HKCTU joint press release at: 
http://www.clb.org.hk/en/node/2392