On 1 July, the sixth anniversary of the resumption of Chinese sovereignty in Hong Kong, over 500,000 people turned up in sweltering conditions to march against the government’s proposed legislation on Article 23.

The unexpected number of people who turned out that day – some estimates put the total at around 650,000 – led in part at least to the Hong Kong government’s dramatic last minute announcement that they would indeed postpone the enactment of the legislation. Groups all around the world have been calling for this since September 2002 when the Hong Kong Government first announced its desire to see legislation in place by July 2003.

There has never been a satisfactory explanation for the government’s apparent headlong rush towards early enactment of what is a poorly drafted and ill defined Bill. The recent decision to postpone is the welcome culmination of months of campaigning by China Labour Bulletin and hundreds of other groups in Hong Kong and around the world.

According to Article 68 of the Basic law, the ultimate aim for Hong Kong is the election of the Legislative Council by universal suffrage. We now ask that the government moves ahead with the necessary steps to create universal suffrage and then only then move ahead with Article 23 legislation. Any move to introduce the proposed legislation without a popularly elected government will only reinforce the chasm between the government and the people.

For more details on China Labour Bulletin’s analysis of the proposed legislation and its potential consequences for the human rights of people in Hong Kong and in mainland China please go to the following links.

Launched January 2002 - LabourStart and CLB Signature Campaign to halt the Proposed Legislation [2]

9 July 2003 - Photographs taken by CLB staff who participated in the demonstration. [3]

8 July 2003 – Press Release on the announcement to postpone the legislation [4]

24 June 2003 - Joint Statement of International and Regional NGOs in Hong Kong on National Security (Legislative Provisions) Bill [5]

3 May 2003 – Press release - On the Enactment of Article 23 Legislation in Hong Kong [6]

29 April 2003 - CLB Submission - On the Enactment of Article 23 Legislation in Hong Kong [6]

February 2003 - Update on Article 23 Legislation [7]

16 January 2003 – Press release: International trade union community says NO to Article 23 [8]

23 December 2002 - ‘Say No’ to Anti-subversion Laws in Hong Kong! [9]

11 December 2002 – CLB against Article 23 Legislation [10]

28 November 2002 - ICFTU denounces new anti-human rights draft law in Hong Kong [11]