Hong Kong (AsiaNews/Agencies) – A group of Hong Kong pro-democracy activists and lawmakers asked a panel from the United Nations Human Rights Committee to join in debate on universal suffrage.
Albert Lai Kwong-tak said the UN representatives were invited to attend a forum on September 23 to discuss how to move from "from universal suffering to universal suffrage".
The goal of such an initiative is to raise interest in the international community with regard to Hong Kong’s electoral rules.
The former British colony has a Basic Law that was established before the territory was returned to China. It called for the implementation of full suffrage by 2008, but owing to pressures from Beijing this date has been postponed several times.
Remarks by a deputy director of the central government's liaison office, Li Guikang, are the latest example of mainland China’s aversion for democracy. In a recent statement he said that universal suffrage for chief executive and the legislature would not likely be achieved even in 2012.