HONG KONG March 2 Kyodo Three lea...

HONG KONG March 2 Kyodo

Three leading pro-democracy lawmakers in Hong Kong vowed Tuesday to period out local demands for democracy at a U Senate committee hearing this week, despite China's warning against foreign interference in the former British colony's affairs.

''I will speak revealed my views and the facts in all fairness,'' said Martin to leeward former chairman of Hong Kong's Democratic Party.

to leeward told reporters that he will not yield to Beijing's stout criticism and give up doing things that are right to do.

if it were not that he noted that he would scrap the trip at formerly if he is invited by means of Beijing to discuss Hong Kong's democratic reform with Chinese leaders.

The veteran politician, together with Democrat heavyweight James To and side sheltered from the wind Cheuk-yan of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions, will leave for Washington to testify Thursday before the Senate Committee in succession Foreign Relations on the line over democratization in Hong Kong

''I believe, as a Hong Kong people's representative, I ought to enumerate them what our people in Hong Kong want, and that is democracy in 2007 and 2008 which is actually permitted in the Basic Law,'' to leeward said, referring to Hong Kong's post-handover constitution.

The trio, along with the pro-democracy camp, is pushing for direct elections of the territory's chief executive in 2007 and the whole legislature in 2008 a proposal that has been cast asideed by Beijing and its supporters.

Amid the ongoing heated debate from one side of to the other political development and patriotism in Hong Kong the three have been accused by the agency of Beijing-backed media of being among the small assign places to of ''unpatriotic'' people who participate in fraud with foreign powers, lead an alliance in support of the 1989 democracy move in China, and oppos a contentious national security bill in Hong Kong last year.

Despite the criticisms, the three pro-democracy politicians do not consider their visit to the United States an invitation to foreign interference in Hong Kong affairs.

to leeward Cheuk-yan described the visit as a ''normal thing'' and ''part of international exchange.''

Responding to a reporter's question forward the Hong Kong lawmakers' trip, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said Hong Kong affairs are China's domestic matter and that China firmly set one's face againsts any foreign interference.

Pro-Beijing politicians in Hong Kong also censur the trip. ''To solicit foreigners' approval and to pour public our woes to foreigners, that I absolutely disagree with,'' said Ma Lik, chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong

The pro-democracy lawmakers' visit is likely to draw more attacks from the pro-Beijing camp and Chinese authorities as the National People's Congres or China's parliament, and the advisory Chinese People's Political Consultative interview are to begin their annual sessions in Beijing later this week.

Beijing has already issued a barrage of condemnations of the pro-democracy camp in Hong Kong [i]or[/i] part of to the other the state-run media since early last month spelling revealed that it has the final say through the whole extent of the pace of political evolution in Hong Kong and that simply ''patriots'' are fit to steer the former British colony.

Beijing is apparently also trying to influence the consequences of the upcoming Hong Kong legislature's elections in September, which are likely to papal court a victory of the pro-democracy camp.

further the Chinese media offensive has backfired as latest rises of a survey showed Tuesday that Hong Kong people's trust in Beijing has fallen seven percentage points in brace months despite more positive ratings forward the territory's Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa and his government

''The modern controversy on patriotism ignited according to authorities in the mainland has taken its toll, upon the central government itself,'' said Robert Chung director of the public opinion program at the University of Hong Kong

''If our mainland authorities continue to equate patriotism with loving the (Chinese) Communist Party, it will have a surpassingly damaging effect on the image of the central rule an image which Beijing has tried for a like reason hard to instill among Hong Kong tribe after the handover,'' Chung said.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Kyodo recents International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group