Chinese army ready to enforce order

Tighter Security Laws for Hong Kong

The laws will come into effect after the British handover of the territory to China on the first of July.

Police permission will be required in advance for all demonstrations and the authorities will be able to refuse consent on the grounds of national security, while political parties which receive money from abroad will be outlawed.

Pro-democracy politicians in the territory, as well as the colonial government, have strongly criticised the measures since they were first proposed several weeks ago.

Hong Kong's biggest political party, the Democratic Party, has described them as a move to restrict civil liberties.

Lee: Step backwards for freedom

The party's leader, Martin Lee, said the new laws represented a step backwards for freedom and would revive colonial-era restrictions on basic rights.

He said the wording of the laws left them open to broad interpretation and would allow the new administration to clamp down on political freedoms.

A spokesman for the Governor, Chris Patten, also condemned the legislation, which Hong Kong's legal profession has branded as a challenge to the future rule of law in the territory.

The territory's leadership-in-waiting, however, has insisted they're necessary for the maintenance of order after the handover and to stop Hong Kong being used as a base for attempts to subvert the Chinese government.

In response to widespread public criticism of the measures, the proposals were amended to allow demonstrations to be held at short notice. But the most controversial aspect, namely giving the police the power to ban groups or public activities on grounds of national security, has remained unchanged.

Pro-democracy politicians in Hong Kong are particularly worried about this because in China peaceful dissent is often described as a threat to national security.

Reportage: China's Army Prepares to Enter Hong Kong