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HK democrats

may face exile

HONG KONG: A leading Hong Kong newspaper said on Tuesday Chinese authorities believe they can force Hong Kong's democratic camp into exile overseas when China takes over the British colony in the middle of next year.

The independent Ming Pao daily, quoting what it said was an internal Chinese document, said the democrats faced a gloomy fate like exiled pro-democracy dissidents from the mainland.

Apart from effecting "a few small earthquakes and creating some trouble for Hong Kong stability", the democrats would lose their lustre, the Chinese-language paper said.

"It will be unable to influence the larger scenario of the territory's return to China," it said.

The newspaper said China believed as long as Hong Kong's economic prosperity and development was safeguarded after the handover, which was all that Hong Kong people cared about, the democratic camp would become unappealing.

It said China also believed the territory's democrats were weakened by splits in their ranks, that middle and lower ranking members did not dare go too far in opposing China as they wished to stay in Hong Kong after the handover.

Hong Kong's democracy camp has been growing more militant in its protests against China's plans to erase democracy in Hong Kong upon the handover by Britain at midnight on June 30 next year.

Last weekend pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong clashed with police and scuffled with mainland officials in protests against China.-Reuter