Democrats Threatened in Hong Kong

Democratic members of the Hong Kong legislative council have had faeces smeared on their doors and been subjected to intimidating threats. And three campaigning radio disc jockeys have disappeared from public view since threats were made against their families.

Hong Kong's democrats say they are under attack, and today hundreds of thousands are expected to take to the streets in defence of freedoms many fear are being eroded by the government in Beijing.

The protest will mark the seventh anniversary of the territory's return to China. A march by 500,000 people on the date last year provoked a crisis in the mainland leadership and left the usually business-obsessed territory more politicised and polarised than at any time since the transfer of power on July 1 1997.

Since Beijing decided in April not to allow the direct election in 2007 of a successor to its appointed chief executive of the territory, Tung Chee-hwa, Hong Kong has seethed with frustration.

A survey this week by the thinktank Civic Exchange showed that 81% of those who had heard about the decision were concerned about its impact on the democratic development of Hong Kong.

There is unease too about the mainland's perceived challenge to to the autonomy given to the territory by the "one-party, two-systems" agreement for its transition from British to Chinese rule.

One of the most prominent victims of intimidation is the council member Emily Lau. Last week posters outside her office were set on fire and the words "traitors must die" were daubed on the wall.

She has received two fake-anthrax letters and threatening telephone calls, and has had excrement smeared on her office door.

"It's very sinister", she said. "I don't know who did it, but there are people out there trying to intimidate me.

"This is a very tense time now in Hong Kong. Beijing's actions have forced people to take sides. You are either a friend or an enemy."

In the past two months three prominent DJs have resigned after receiving threats, reportedly from Triad gangsters claiming to be working for Communist party supporters.

The newspapers have been filled with stories about other heavy-handed attempts to manipulate public opinion.

Beijing officials have condemned democrats as "clowns and traitors", pro-mainland businesses have ordered their employees not to take part in today's march, and the police are investigating reports that voters with links to the mainland have been instructed to photograph their ballot papers for September's legislative council elections with mobile telephone cameras so that their loyalty to China can be confirmed.

The pressure on Hong Kong to concentrate on economic wealth, rather than political problems, has come in the form of carrots as well as sticks.

The visa regulations for mainland tourists have been relaxed and they have overtaken Japanese and European visitors as the main source of income for many shops and hotels. Last year, 53,500 mainlanders migrated to the territory, 50% more than two years previously.

Corporate executives with close ties to Beijing have spoken out against today's march. "The one thing business representatives do not want to see is the society bogged down in politics," said Ronnie Chan, chairman of the Hang Lung Group. "This will destroy the cornerstone on which Hong Kong's success was built."

Mr Tung has promised democratic leaders greater access to the mainland in return for toning down their rhetoric. And Beijing has recognised Hong Kong residents' right to march by blurring the meaning of the today's demonstration. China's vice president, Zeng Qinghong, said people should celebrate the handover anniversary as "an uncommon day".

As a conciliatory gesture many senior democrats have agreed to drop the slogan "return power to the people". But the organisers expect 300,000 on the march, and such a display will cause unease in the Communist party.

Last year 500,000 people, one in every 15 residents, paraded through the city in protest at Mr Tung and his government's plans to tighten Hong Kong's security laws in compliance with Beijing's wishes.

It was a crisis for Beijing, which feared that the display of people-power might spread to the mainland.

Now, as then, television and radio broadcasts of the march are likely to be blocked from audiences in neighbouring provinces. Newspapers report that there has also been a sharp drop in the number of visas issued to mainlanders during this sensitive period.

But political analysts say that a second big turnout would force the communist authorities to face up to the territory's democratic aspirations.

"This shows that a solid social-democratic movement exists in Hong Kong. That is new," Civic Exchange's chief executive, Christine Loh, said.

"We've surprised ourselves. It puts to bed the old view that this is an apolitical place where people only care about business."