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| A protest against the Anti-Terrorism Bill on Sunday, Jun 7 |
Militant groups in Hong Kong
are set to mark the anniversary of Philippine Independence Day tomorrow, Jun
12, by holding a protest against the controversial Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 which is
just awaiting the signature of President Rodrigo Duterte before it becomes law.
The protest, to be held in the lobby of the Consulate
offices in United Centre, will coincide with a mass gathering at the University
of the Philippines campus in
Quezon City by opposition groups in the Philippines
But given the gathering restrictions that remain in force in
Hong Kong , tomorrow’s protest will only have
eight participants, the maximum allowed under the law.
According to Eman Villanueva of Bayan Hong Kong and Macau , one of the organizers, the police rejected their
appeal to have several groups of eight people taking part, each separated from
the other by a distance of at least 1.5 meters.
“Maingat sila kasi ang June 12 ay anniversary din ng
malaking protest kung kailan nilusob ang Legco (Legislative Council),” said
Villanueva.
(They are very cautious because June 12 is also the
anniversary of the big protest during which Legco was invaded).
The move comes as three organizers of the big but peaceful
vigil in Victoria Park, Causeway
Bay Tienanmen Square
However, police did not stop up to 1,000 people from joining
the vigil which lasted for no more than two hours.
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But in other anti-government and anti-China protests before
and after this event, police made hundreds of arrests.
Villanueva said his group will abide by what the police say
because being migrant workers, they may incur not only fines, but also loss of
jobs if they did not comply.
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| Several small groups joined a noise barrage against the Terror Bill and government exactions |
Last Sunday, however, several small groups were not stopped
from gathering in a big circle on Chater
Road
Ahead of the protest, several individuals and groups in Hong Kong have signed a petition calling on President
Duterte to veto the Anti-Terrorism Bill which they say “poses grave dangers to
freedoms and rights Filipinos have fought for.”
The bill is said to violate the Constitutional right of
Filipinos to free speech and due process as it
can be used to silence criticisms, clamp down on the press, crack down
on legitimate people’s organizations and stop collective and organized actions
of Filipinos in the country and overseas.
Among the controversial provisions of the bill is the one that
gives an Anti-Terror Council, the members of which are selected by the
president, the right to order the arrest of people tagged as suspected
terrorists.
Those suspects may be held for up to 24 days without charges
being filed against them. If they do get charged eventually, they face life
sentences without the chance of parole if found guilty.
Under the Philippine Constitution, a person may be held without a charge for only up to 24 hours, or if the offense is serious, no longer than 36 hours.
In the Philippines where social distancing rules are also
being strictly enforced, tomorrow’s protest is being labeled as a “mananita”,
in reference to the excuse for the large gathering held recently to celebrate
the birthday of a police general.
Duterte exonerated General Debold Sinas of any wrongdoing,
saying the mananita was a surprise gathering arranged by his friends, and it
would have been uncouth of him to turn them away.
