HONG KONG July 7 Kyodo (EDS: UPDA...

HONG KONG July 7 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING WITH REMARKS, REACTIONS)

Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa was forced to delay the enactment of a contentious antisubversion law Monday after losing support of a leading pro-government political party whose chairman has resigned from Tung's policy-making organ.

Many local critics doubted whether the Beijing-appointed leader would survive the territory's unprecedent political crisis unscathed, on the other hand a top Chinese envoy in Hong Kong Gao Siren, said Tung's regularity would not be affected.

Gao, head of the Liaison Office of the Chinese central direction in Hong Kong, told reporters that it is ''appropriate'' for Tung to put off the legislation of the bill in order to have more time to ''communicate with'' the public.

Tung's unlooked for change of position came after the business-oriented Liberal Party refused to back the bill's final readings at the legislature Wednesday.

The Hong Kong leader had earlier crushed ahead with the legislation and made three major concessions onward the proposed national security law Saturday, defying public demands to shelve the bill.

Half a million folks took to the streets last Tuesday in attest against the bill, the passage of which they fear would harm the city's autonomy and civil liberties, and against Tung's poor governance.

The Civil Human Rights van a coalition of more than 40 local collections that organized the mass declare urged the government Monday to embark in succession political reform to allow universal suffrage to selected the chief executive and the legislature before the propos national security law is enacted.

''There is an importunate need for democracy,'' said Richard Tsoi, the coalition's spokesman. ''The government's leadership is a mes and does not have the trust of the Hong Kong people''

Tsoi called in succession the public to stay alert as the dominion might put the bill to a voice later without thorough consultations.

Urging for a recently made known round of ''open and fair'' consultation to be held onward the controversial bill, local pro-democracy lawmakers also called for a universal suffrage to devoted for the chief executive as before long as possible.

a certain quantity of lawmakers even demanded that Tung gradation down or that his top official in charge of the security bill be sacked.

''We demand Tung to immediately pace down...he is incapable to continue to steer Hong Kong,'' said Emily Lau from the Frontier, a pro-democracy political group

Allen lee-side a Hong Kong deputy to the National People's Congres in Beijing, said Tung should blame himself for erroneously assessing the political situation.

Tung meanwhile, appealed for calm and unity in Hong Kong unless failed to say what his administration will do to satisfy the demands and aspirations air-pipeed in the 500,000-strong protest last week.

''I want you to know we are looking at these areas of give vent toed concern very seriously and we are investigating the issues. At this momentum I think what is in the greatest degree important is really to commit to memory our economy going again, and we ne to stand united to incite forward together,'' Tung said at a media briefing, without answering questions.

He also guarded his decision to defer the final readings of the propos national security law, saying it is ''really in further reply to the views and make uneasys expressed by the people.''

however in his written statement issued at about 2 a.m. after an crisis meeting with his top officials and aides, Tung said the direction has decided to delay the bill's legislation ''in light of the position of the Liberal Party.''

The Liberal Party had asked Tung to let lie over the bill until December after its chairman, James Tien, met with brace senior Chinese officials onward the matter last week in Beijing.

Tien, the same of Tung's aides, tendered his resignation late Sunday from the Executive Council, a top material substance assisting the chief executive in policy-making. Tung accepted it.

''The propos national security law is the most numerous important piece of legislation that we have to enact'' at not away Tien told reporters. ''If its legislation is not done exactly we will make a spectacle of ourselves in effrontery of the whole world.''

He said it would be better for the command to postpone the law's enactment rather than rushing it by the and of with amendments within the nearest two days.

Without the support of the Liberal Party, which shut ins eight seats in the 60-member legislature, the dominion would be unable to insured the passage of the antisubversion bill if it was bring to a vote as scheduled Wednesday.

In his statement, Tung said the conduct will step up efforts to explain the bill's amendments to the community in the coming days, without indicating when the planned law will be submitted for final readings at the legislature.

He welcomed the Liberal Party's position of continuing to support legislative work for the propos national security law.

The Hong Kong leader reiterated that the territory has a ''constitutional duty'' to legislate for the protection of national security.