Rights groups go West with gripes ranging from reforms to radio

Hong Kong's stalled political reforms, wealth gap, radio licensing regime and treatment of migrant workers are to be given an international airing in Geneva.
Delegates from the Society for Community Organization, Democratic Party, China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group, Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor and Human Rights Commission leave tomorrow to press their agendas at the United Nations' Universal Periodic Review in Switzerland.

``We will try to impress upon this council our concerns and hope they take them up and make recommendations,'' Democratic Party vice chairwoman Emily Lau Wai-hing said.
Hong Kong Human Rights Commission representative Richard Tsoi Yiu-cheong said the central and Hong Kong governments will have to answer to the international community on how they plan to implement their promise on the territory's autonomy.

The commission wants universal suffrage for chief executive and legislature elections along with the scrapping of functional constituencies and appointment of district councillors. Tsoi also expressed concern about the growing wealth gap. China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group executive secretary Patrick Poon is calling for an independent judiciary in the mainland and an end to the harassment of lawyers who take on politically sensitive cases.

Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor wants the creation of procedures for police search powers and the setting up of an independent police complaints body.

The group is also calling for reform of the radio licensing regime to protect freedom of speech and better safeguards for migrant workers.

(Source: The Standard, 4 February 2009)