China backs Hong Kong leader as protesters grow quiet

HONG KONG -- Government opponents warned Sunday that the political crisis shaking Hong Kong leader Tung Chee-hwa isn't over, despite China's renewed support for him and a lull in the protests that forced him to back down on an anti-subversion bill.

"No matter how much the central government backs Tung, he is still a lame duck," said pro-democracy legislator and unionist Lee Cheuk-yan.

Tung is facing his worst political crisis since he was put in charge of Hong Kong when Britain returned this former colony to the mainland six years ago.

A march on July 1 by a half million people who fear the anti-subversion measure will undermine civil liberties forced Tung to put it on hold for now and he said he will open new public consultations before his next attempt to get it enacted.

Chinese President Hu Jintao backed Tung Saturday, and also said Hong Kong's people will eventually support the national security legislation.

But pro-democracy lawmakers and rights activists expressed doubts Sunday that the overwhelming public opinion against the bill would change.

"People have made their views clear," opposition lawmaker and Tung critic Emily Lau said on Sunday. "Even if the central government doesn't respond, the people won't keep quiet."

Public sentiment toward Tung has also been soured by Hong Kong's staggering economy, and there's little relief in sight. Statistics released last week show that the SARS outbreak that killed almost 300 people here and battered many businesses had pushed unemployment to a record 8.6 percent.

A pro-Beijing lawmaker, Ip Kwok-him, said Sunday that Hong Kong had many problems to address, and focusing only on the anti-subversion bill and Tung would not lead to solutions.

"Does one protest mean all 6 million people feel the same way?" Ip asked.

The crisis deepened last week when Tung announced the back-to-back resignations of two key Cabinet members, the security and finance secretaries.

Secretary for Security Regina Ip had been the chief official pushing the anti-subversion measure. Although Ip said she quit for personal reasons, critics charged she had lost credibility.

The July 1 demonstration was the biggest in Hong Kong since 1 million people took to the streets to protest China's crackdown on the Tiananmen Square student pro-democracy movement on June 4, 1989. The turnout stunned Tung, who said he spent a sleepless night after watching it on television.

Two subsequent protests attracted tens of thousands of people. Emboldened by their success in stopping the anti-subversion bill for the time being, activists and thousands of ordinary citizens began clamoring for full democracy.

Hong Kong people have no say in picking their leader, but they choose some lawmakers and the territory's mini-constitution sets out democracy as an eventual goal.

For now, the rally organizers seem willing to keep their peace while they await the government's next step.

"If we come out and demand the same things again, it won't have much of an impact," pro-democracy activist Richard Tsoi of the Civil Human Rights Front said Saturday. But Tsoi warned any sudden, drastic steps by the government could prompt another public backlash.

Lawmaker Lee said more demonstrations are inevitable if the status quo continues.

"People will have no choice but to keep hitting the streets," he said.