FOR too long Hong Kong people have taken the freedoms they enjoy for granted. The controversy over the expulsion of Chinese dissident unionist Han Dongfang should jolt many out of their complacency and make them start taking a closer interest.
The Chinese Government's inexplicable expulsion of Mr Han and subsequent cancellation of his passport fill many people with horror and revulsion. In spite of the international outcry, Beijing has adamantly refused to allow him to return, and would not even bother to explain what he has done to deserve such a high-handed and barbaric treatment.
All Beijing said was that Mr Han had done something to oppose the government and undermine the interests of China. When confronted by journalists, Chinese officials either refused to comment or said they knew nothing about the case.
The usually cautious and pusillanimous Hong Kong Government accused the Chinese Government of acting contrary to international law and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Deputy Political Adviser John Ashton conveyed the government's ''serious concern'' to the official Xinhua (the New China News Agency) and urged Beijing to reconsider its position by allowing Mr Han to re-enter China.
Mr Han was thrown out of China on August 14 after spending less than a day in Guangdong on his return from the US where he had been receiving medical treatment.
When Beijing's intransigence led to protests and hunger strikes, Acting Governor Sir David Ford warned that China's action could undermine the confidence of Hong Kong people in their post-1997 future. Sir David rightly pointed out any doubts over continued freedom of movement and the rule of law would increase jitters in the run-up to China's sovereignty.
