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In response to media enquiries about Amnesty International Hong Kong's open letter to the Secretary for Security, Mr Ambrose S K Lee, about the policing of protests related to the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization, a spokesman for the Security Bureau reiterated today (December 9) that Hong Kong greatly respects the freedom of expression and the right of assembly of its citizens as well as overseas visitors.
"The Government is fully committed to facilitating the exercise of these rights in a peaceful and lawful manner. That is why the Police, from an early stage, have sought to establish and maintain dialogue with non-government organizations (NGOs) that may wish to organise protests during the conference," the spokesman said.
"Indeed, the designated demonstration areas for the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference are extremely close to the meeting venue. We have also arranged for representatives of local and overseas NGOs to visit the sites and briefed them on the arrangements.
"We trust that demonstrators, whether local or overseas, will respect the local laws and the good tradition of Hong Kong's peaceful demonstrations.
"We share the view of Amnesty International Hong Kong that governments have a right and duty to ensure the safety of their citizens, demonstrators and conference delegates.
"To this end, the Police and other law enforcement agencies would adopt a reasonable and flexible approach in facilitating public meetings and processions while ensuring the smooth conduct of the conference and safeguarding public safety and order," he said.
Ends/Friday, December 9, 2005
Issued at HKT 19:38
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