LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron said on Wednesday Britain should stand up for the rights of people in Hong Kong, a former British colony, after more than two weeks of protests over Chinese restrictions on how the island chooses its next leader in 2017.
Answering a question in parliament about the unrest, Cameron said it was important people in Hong Kong were able to enjoy freedoms and rights set out in an Anglo-Chinese agreement before Britain handed it back to China in 1997.
"It is important that democracy involves real choices," Cameron said, stressing the importance Britain attached to the agreement.
"It talks about rights and freedoms, including those of person, of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of travel, of movement, and, indeed, of strike.
"These are important freedoms, jointly guaranteed through that joint declaration and it's that which, most of all, we should stand up for."
Cameron was speaking after pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong clashed overnight with police. Footage of police beating a protester has gone viral on the Internet, sparking outrage from some lawmakers and the public.
(Reporting by William James; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
http://uk.mobile.reuters.com/article/idUKKCN0I41C620141015?irpc=932卡梅伦首度开腔谈占中:英国要为港人站出来(图)
新闻来源: 路透社 于 2014-10-16 10:20:21 大字阅读 敬请注意:新闻取自各大新闻媒体,观点内容不代表本网立场!
香港非法集会“占领中环”持续至今,沉默近三周的英国首相卡梅伦首度开腔,这位前殖民帝国的现任领导人表示,英国要为香港人的权利站出来。
据路透社报道,15日下午,卡梅伦在接受英国议会接受议员提问时表示,香港民众能享受《中英联合声明》中规定的自由和权利是很重要的。
“民主包含真正的选择是很重要的”,卡梅伦称,“中英联合声明保障了港人享有的权利和自由,包括言论自由、出版自由、集会自由、结社自由、旅行自由和罢工自由等。”
“这些自由都是重要的,联合声明对此予以保证。而英国也应该要站出来维护这些自由。”
据此前报道,15日凌晨,香港警方对此前强占特首办外龙和道的“占中”者采取驱散行动,拘捕45人。此后,卡梅伦发表了上述言论。
13日,英国外交国务大臣雨果·斯瓦尔就英国落实《中英联合声明》问题向议会提交书面声明,无视中国人大常委会普选方案,竟敦促香港特区政府重启政改咨询。中国外交部发言人洪磊15日回应:“我们已多次表明,香港事务纯属中国内政,任何外国政府和个人无权干涉。香港的政改必须按照基本法和全国人大常委会有关决定实施。我们敦促英方谨言慎行,不以任何方式介入香港事务,不发出错误信号。”
对于英国在香港问题中的立场,英国智库“皇家国际事务研究所”10月9日曾刊文指出,按照1984年的《中英联合声明》,行政长官在当地通过选举或协商产生,由中央人民政府任命。英国作为该声明的签署方,没有对此抱怨的法律依据,而且1997年前香港行政机构并无民主,令英国在该问题上缺少道德高地。