In the last few days the Alliance to Promote Democracy in China (Hong Kong) has been working to persuade members of the Legislative Council and political party leaders, hoping they will propose a resolution to strongly request the Chinese government fulfill the promises it made to improve human rights and allow freedom of the press when applying for the Olympic Games.

The Chinese government made a promise to the whole world when applying for the Olympic Games in 2000 that it would comply with the International Human Rights Convention. But after it succeeded in securing the Olympics, China has done anything but comply with the convention. For a number of years now the government has continuously suppressed the rights defense movement. It has not hesitated to open fire and suppress the masses trying to defend their rights; it has not honored and upheld the law; it has locking up rights defense lawyers; and it has continued to suppress Falun Gong and persecute their family members; and further, in order to construct Olympic stadiums it has violated the wishes of local residents, forcing them to move and causing them to become homeless and destitute. Beijing officials have also forcefully expelled the appealing masses, leaving them with nowhere to appeal and nowhere to seek justice for wrongs done to them, totally disregarding the human rights of the Chinese people.

On January 26th, 2008, the Alliance to Promote Democracy in China presented the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China chairman Szeto Wah and Legislative Council member Emily Lau Wai-hing with a petition as well as the 10,000-person signed letter that China "Needs Human Rights, Not the Olympics," hoping to pass on the appeal of the Chinese people and request the Chinese government fulfill the promises it made to improve human rights when applying for the Olympic Games.

On the afternoon of January 30th, 2008, Alliance members went Legislative Council members Leung Kwok-hung (aka Long Hair), and LEE Cheuk-yan's offices to present the petition and discuss the matter. They urged the members to make a motion in the Legislative Council to request the Chinese government fulfill the promises to improve human rights that it made when applying for the Olympic Games.

In the last few days, the effort of presenting petitions by the Alliance to Promote Democracy in China has gained support from Hong Kong Legislative Council members and political party leaders. They expressed that they would urge the Chinese government to reform its constitution with the keyword of improving human rights. The spirit of the Olympics is peaceful competition, fair competition, emphasizes human rights is emphasizing equality.

Szeto Wah expressed his full support to the Alliance in its effort to fight for the human rights of the Mainland Chinese people. Emily Lau recommended the petition effort emphasize two things: one was to point out the promises China made to the whole world when applying for the Olympics and to list them one by one; second to push for improvement of human rights.

Leung Kwok-hung said that they should take the Olympics as an opportunity to push China to improve human rights, but that most important was to persuade Chinese People's Congress to approve the "The International Convention on Civil and Political Rights" and the "International Human Rights Convention" (which China has already signed) and to carry out these right away. The People's Congress will convene in March, so this is an appropriate opportunity to raise this appeal of the Hong Kong people.

Legislative Council member LEE Cheuk-yan said that the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China was right now in the process of planning a series of activities about the "Olympics and human rights," and hoped that the Alliance to Promote Democracy in China would join in the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China 's "Orange Color Movement of the Human Rights Olympics."

The Alliance to Promote Democracy in China will continue to distribute flyers to Hong Kong residents to expose the evil of China's suppression of human rights.

Related photos:

Sat down meeting with Legislative Council member Emily Lau Wai-hing

Meeting with Legislative Council member Leung Kwok-hung

Meeting with Legislative Council member LEE Cheuk-yan:

(This English version is translated and first released by the Wei Jingsheng Foundation.)