"The FCC also wishes to express its deep concern that legislation implementing Article 23 of the Basic law might open to the door to the suppression of free expression and free press. Also, we do not wish to see introduced into our laws anything that might resemble the notion of political crime. The government has said such Article 23 - related laws would be introduced into the next Legislative Council we hope the Government will give extremely careful thought to the necessity, if any, for such legislation. Further, any Bills should only be introduced after widespread public consultation, and must be given diligent and through scrutiny by the Council.
While we warmly welcome recent statement supportive of the free press made by the President, Jiang Zemin, and the Premier, Zhu Rougji, and sincerely hope that these words augur the start of a larger trend, we nonetheless express our dismay at the number of our colleagues known to be held in custody on the Mainland. We specifically reiterate our long-standing call for the release from prison of prize-winning journalist Gao Yu.
"Since the formation of the SAR, we have carefully monitored the press for indications of any curtailment of our freedoms: we have noted, for example, the threats against the independence of Radio television Hong Kong, as well as the overwhelming vote of the Provisional Legislative Council supportive of RTHK's editorial independence. The response of the PLC and the public to that threat was heartening, and showed how deeply the Hong Kong people cherish their free and independent news media. Still, we do not underestimate the seriousness of such threats and intend to maintain our vigilance.(5)
"The press in Singapore has long labored under the charge that it is controlled by the government, and hence unfree. 'Probably the most unindependent newspaper in the world outside Romania,'columnist Bernard Levin of The Times charged at Singapore's main newspaper. The Straits Times, in 1989, while Frank Bough, Sky News' answer to CNN's Larry King, asked Mr. Lee Kuan Yew in an interview in 1990; 'Haven't you got one newspaper that is very much your house magazine?'"
In May 1997, the New York-based Freedom House rated the media in Singapore as having no freedom together with those in some 60 other countries, among them Singapore's two closest neighbors, Malaysia and Indonesia. It scored 65 out of a possible 90 points for the most unfree. (Freedom is having less than 30 points, those with 30 to 60 points are partially free, and 60 to 90 unfree). The basis of its rating, an annual affair, was the degree of executive intervention and administrative influence on the broadcast and print media, in the three categories; legal, political and economic /financial. Interestingly, Freedom House rated the Singapore press as more government-controlled than the broadcast media, despite the fact that Singapore television and radio are government statutory bodies while the press is owned by a private listed corporation.
