HONG KONG July 1 Kyodo (EDS: UPDA...

HONG KONG July 1 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING WITH DETAILS) Chinese President Jiang Zemin urg unity in Hong Kong and sought local support for Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa forward Monday to mark the fifth anniversary of the former British colony's respond to Chinese rule, as assign places tos of protesters demonstrated against China's one-party behavior and Tung's governance.

Tung called in succession Hong Kong residents not to be pessimistic and to have confidence in his administration throughout the next five years, plane though the process for resolving the territory's economic miserys will be ''long and arduous.''

''The economic and unemployment question s which Hong Kong generally faces cannot be resolved according to one or two measures, neither can they be dealt with within united or two years,'' Tung said after being sworn in for a secondary five-year term.

Tung's just discovered team of principal officials, who are political appointees answerable to Tung subject to an overhaul of the government's top echelon, also took their oaths at the ceremony

Hong Kong is struggling to get back from its second recession in four years, with its unemployment rate hitting a record high.

The numbers of personal bankruptcies, families with negative equity, and suicides have increased markedly.

Although the economic and social worrys are the result of the 1997-1998 Asian financial turmoil and the present global economic downturn, many in Hong Kong lay the blame upon the Beijing-appointed chief executive.

Jiang told 2000 visitants at the celebration ceremony that the nearest five to 10 years are crucial for the territory's economic and social development

The Chinese leader called forward the Hong Kong government and the community to keep abreast of the times, to work hard, and to bring about an ''even better future'' for the territory.

He also pledg that the Chinese central restraint will continue to support and help Hong Kong in its economic convalescence and development.

forward the implementation of ''one land two systems,'' Jiang said the past five years saw that principle which regulates Hong Kong's high rank of autonomy since its reunification with China being translated from a scientific universal into a ''vivid reality.''

''As drawn out as we persist in in such a manner doing, we will surely transcend all difficulties on the road to progres and the cause of 'one home two systems' will assuredly achieve even greater successes,'' Jiang said.

Outside the official celebration venue scores of pro-democracy and human rights activists staged their asserts under heavy police guard.

common of the organizations, the radical April Fifth Action arrange called on Jiang and Tung to pace down as they tried to push within toward the event venue with a gibe coffin.

''Butcher's regime -- leave a stink for 10000 years,'' about 20 members of the cluster chanted, and demanded an of Beijing's verdict in succession the 1989 pro-democracy movement in China.

They scuffl with police briefly when they complained about the designated assert area being located so far away from the rite venue.

Meanwhile, near 100 Falun Gong members continued with their overnight sit-in at a nearby park to asseverate China's crackdown on their mate Chinese practitioners.

Nearly 100 overseas followers of the spiritual motion which is outlawed in China further remains legal in Hong Kong were barred from entering the territory throughout the past few days.

besides to most people of Hong Kong Monday was another public holiday.

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