LexisNexis(TM) Academic - DocumentCopyright 2005 The Financial Times Limited
Financial Times (London, England)

February 1, 2005 Tuesday
London Edition 1

SECTION: ASIA-PACIFIC; Pg. 11

LENGTH: 405 words

HEADLINE: Protesters meet in HK ahead of WTO gathering ANTI-GLOBALISATION:

BYLINE: By ALEXANDRA HARNEY

DATELINE: HONG KONG

BODY:


More than 10 months before Hong Kong hosts the World Trade Organisation's next ministerial meeting, non-governmental organisations are planning their own talks to craft a strategy for protests and other activities.

Hong Kong NGOs, union leaders and other groups have scheduled a meeting for February 26-27 in the former British colony "to map out the plan of action both during and leading up to" the December 13-18 meeting, said Rey Asis, regional secretary of the Asian Students Association, one of the organisers.

In an attempt to head off the kind of violent protests that have disrupted previous WTO ministerial meetings, in particular the 1999 meeting in Seattle, the Hong Kong government is talking with local groups and following their moves closely.

"We have seen what happened in Seattle," said Raymond Young, director-general of trade and industry.

"Let's be honest. We've got to be prepared for the worst-case scenario."

Hong Kong, which has been rocked by protests demanding democratic reform over the past year, is keen to demonstrate that it is "Asia's world city", a tolerant and free society with an open economy.

However, one of the groups co-ordinating the anti-globalist movement locally is the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions.

Its general secretary, Lee Cheuk Yan, is a pro-democracy leader who has organised rallies and is deeply critical of the administration of Tung Chee-hwa.

The government is considering ways to "engage" the NGOs converging on Hong Kong for the WTO meeting, Mr Young said, including reserving space for them.

"We welcome any dissenting voices, any anti-globalisation voices," he said.

Police in Hong Kong have gained experience in handling protests since the number of marches started to increase in mid-2003. But none of these protests has been violent.

Among the international anti-globalist groups planning to attend the meeting at the end of the month are Our World is Not for Sale and the Association for the Taxation of Financial Transactions for the Aid of Citizens.

Anti-globalist groups are planning a series of conferences and workshops in Hong Kong in the months leading up to the WTO meeting, to discuss the issues surrounding the WTO, he said.

There would also be a demonstration during the WTO conference.

Mr Asis did not rule out the possibility that this protest could turn violent.

"Ever since the battle of Seattle, the people have been standing up against to the WTO," he said.

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