【综合/观察者网 陈兴华】
据《星岛日报》10日报道,联合国人权理事会第42届会议9月9日在瑞士日内瓦万国宫开幕。香港各界妇女联合协进会主席何超琼女士、监察顾问伍淑清女士作为非政府组织代表出席了本届人权理事会会议,并计划分别于10日和11日在大会发言。
何超琼(左)和伍淑清(右)
两位女性勇敢发声,旨在向国际社会介绍香港的真实情况。其中,何超琼是澳门博彩业大亨何鸿燊之女,现任香港信德集团行政主席,被称为“香港女首富”。伍淑清是香港美心集团创始人伍沾德长女,也是内地首家中外合资企业、北京航空食品有限公司的创始人。
“我们是沉默的大多数,以为不是其中的一分子,现在我们都变成了事件的一分子。”当地时间9月9日下午,在会议开始前接受媒体采访时,何超琼反思道,“可能意识到这一点已经迟了,但还是要站出来。” 伍淑清则说,“有些事现在必须做,不然良心上过不去。”
选择“站出来”,为普通民众发声,也意味着要面对来自乱港分子的攻击和诋毁。何超琼表示,自从她们将要赴日内瓦演讲的消息传出,香港网络上便开始出现针对她们的攻击,甚至威胁她们的家庭和事业。不过,这些手段并没有吓倒她们,二人还是如期抵达日内瓦。
联合国人权理事会是联合国大会的下属机构,总部设在瑞士的日内瓦。2016年10月28日,中国等14个国家当选联合国人权理事会成员,任期从2017年至2019年。
全文如下:
联合国人权理事会
第42届常规会议
2019年9月9日至9月27日
议程第四项
需要理事会注意的人权情况
《中国香港的真实情况》
——由何超琼女士(香港妇女联合协进会主席)提交的书面声明
引言:
我是作为香港各界妇女联合协进会的主席在这里发言,香港妇协是一个具有联合国经济及社会理事会的咨询地位的非营利、非政治组织。
香港妇协成立于1993年,其宗旨是团结社会各界妇女,鼓励她们积极参与香港事务,并在世界各地倡导妇女权益。我们的会员总数超过10万人,包括商界女性、专业人士、工人、家庭妇女,以及其他热心妇女发展和进步的人士。
我在香港出生、长大,并在香港接受过一些教育,一生都在这里工作。我在香港依法享有非常多的权利,也非常尊重香港人无与伦比的职业道德、独立的思想和坚韧的意志力。
作为香港妇协的代表,和一个承载着骄傲的中国传统文化和大家庭纽带关系、并对社会福利长期献身和持续进行商业投资的香港人,我在这里要提出一个基于事实的观点:这是许多香港人对香港正在发生的事情的真实看法。
联合国人权理事会(联合国网站)
摘要
中国香港是一个拥有750万人口的强大地区。自1997年香港正式回归祖国并一直坚持“一国两制”方针的这22年来,香港继续保持高度自治、经济繁荣和社会稳定。然而,在过去两个月的暴力抗议活动中,这种繁荣与稳定的基础已被彻底动摇。
香港这一小群极端示威者的观点并不能代表所有750万香港人的观点。这些有组织、有预谋的暴力行为从未被全体香港市民宽恕和纵容。
在本土和国际上的各个平台传播虚假信息,在公共场所煽动骚乱,破坏公共和政府财产,参与意图对警察和普通公民造成身体伤害的行为,通过诽谤警察来製造公众仇恨,以及从事非法行为以迫使警方作出应对,这些都是极端示威者为破坏香港政府维持社会秩序的权威而制定的宏大计划的一部分。
这些极端示威者以人权的名义进行暴力行为,但实际上侵犯了其他公民表达、安全和谋生的基本人权,这些公民既不属于这一群体,也不认同极端的观点和策略。
中国香港
1997年,香港正式回归祖国,成为中国的特别行政区。自那时起,香港继续享有高度自治、经济繁荣和社会稳定。
据世界银行统计,2017年香港GDP为3414亿美元,人均GDP为46193.61美元;2018年失业率为2.8%;并于2019年被列为“全球最易开展商业活动的地区”第四位,仅次于新西兰、新加坡和丹麦。直到两个月前,香港还是世界上最安全的旅游地之一。
在美国传统基金会公布的2019年经济自由度指数中,香港经济自由度的得分为90.2分,继续保持着全球最自由经济体的地位。香港的经济韧性、高质量的法律框架、对腐败的低容忍、高度的政府透明度,高效的监管体制以及对全球商业的开放,继续得到该基金会的认可。
在瑞士洛桑国际管理发展学院最新发布2019年《世界竞争力年鉴》中,香港继续位居全球第二。该竞争力年鉴再次承认香港是世界上最具竞争力的经济体之一。
图源:IC photo
激进的示威者继续破坏香港政府在法治和秩序上的权威性
香港受中华人民共和国全国人民代表大会与于1990年4月4日通过的《(中华人民共和国香港特别行政区)基本法》管辖。香港人民的权利和自由基于公正的法治和独立的司法制度。
由香港现任行政长官林郑月娥提议的引渡法案旨在为一名香港公民寻求司法公正,这名香港女性于2018年在台湾被她的香港同伴谋杀。
不幸的是,极端示威者强行控制了这一具有良好出发点的法案,并利用它在香港人民中间散播恐惧,将该法案作为一种宣传,以此破坏香港政府保护其公民权利的权威性。
每个人都享有生命、自由和安全的人权,不论其种族、肤色、性别、语言、宗教、国籍、社会出身、政治或其他意见。人权问题绝不能被区别对待,双重标准也绝不能被接受。
不论警察的政治或社会观点如何,他们的本职工作是执法和维持秩序。以警察为目标进行蓄意的人身伤害、曝光警方和其家人的私人信息,以及骚扰或威胁警察家人,都是伤害警察人权的行为。
对政府政策持有异见,并不代表有通过暴力行为剥夺他人人权的特权。没有人凌驾于法律之上。
香港人民支持香港政府制止大面积的暴力活动,逮捕暴力示威者,维护社会秩序,保护全体香港市民。
联合国人权理事会议直播截图 图/北京日报
暴力抗议对香港经济及其民生的破坏性影响
财政司司长陈茂波已就“反修例”运动对香港经济的不利影响发出严重警告。
8月5日,数千人参加了香港几十年来规模最大的罢工,抗议政府引渡法案引发的危机。与此同时,香港遭遇了大规模航班取消、通勤混乱、交通堵塞和服务中断。据经济学家估计,当天抗议活动的经济成本在3800万美元至3.32亿美元之间。
根据彭博社8月15日的报导,持续两个月的抗议活动“正在冲击香港经济”,导致了以下严重的后果:
自7月初以来,股市损失6220亿美元。
6月,到店购物的外国游客下降30%至50%。
8月12日机场关闭,国泰航空的200架航班被迫取消。
美国银行预计,继6月的房价高峰之后,房价下降10%。
自7月初以来,房地产股的主要指数下跌17%。
自6月初以来,香港IPO融资55亿美元,较上年同期的196.3亿美元下降74%。
结论
香港人民尊重其祖国中国对香港的主权。居住在香港的人,在种族、文化和社会方面都是中国人,这些从生活方式、思维和社会交往方面都能体现。
我们,香港各界妇女联合协进会,是坚信正义的公民,我们正竭尽全力恢复社会的和谐。这就是我们对香港真实情况的声明。
(中文译稿 完)
英文全文如下(何超琼演讲稿英文部分原载于公开的联合国官网):
Human Rights Council
Forty-second session
9–27 September 2019
Agenda item 4
Human rights situations that require the Council’s attention
On the true situation of Hong Kong, China
Written Statement by Pansy Ho, Chairperson, Hong Kong Federation of Women
Introduction
I am speaking as Chairperson of the Hong Kong Federation of Women, a non-profit and non-political organization with Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.
Established in 1993, the Federation’s mission is to unite women from all walks of life, encourage them to take an active interest in Hong Kong affairs, and advocate women’s rights all over the world. With a total membership exceeding 100,000, our members include business women , professionals, workers, housewives and those who are fervent in women development and advancement.
Born, raised, educated in part, and working all my life, in Hong Kong, I have tremendous vested interests in the city, and immense respect for Hong Kongers for their unparalleled work ethics, independent minds, strength and resilience.
On behalf of the Hong Kong Federation of Women, and as a Hong Konger with proud Chinese heritage, extended family ties, long-standing commitments to the society’s well-being, and continued business investments, I am here to offer a fact-based perspective of many Hong Kongers on what is really happening in Hong Kong.
Summary of Statement
• Hong Kong, China is a 7.5 million-people strong region. In the 22 years since Hong Kong was rightfully returned to its motherland China in 1997 and has been operating under the “One Country, Two Systems” principle, Hong Kong has continued to enjoy a high degree of autonomy, economic prosperity and social stability. However, the foundation of such prosperity and stability has been shaken to the core by violent protests in the past two months.
• The views of a small group of radical protesters do NOT represent the views of all 7.5 million Hong Kongers. The systematic and calculated violent acts of this group have never been condoned by all Hong Kongers.
• Spreading misinformation across different platforms locally and internationally, instigating disturbances in public places, destroying public and government properties, engaging in acts with the intention to cause bodily harm to the police and private citizens, vilifying the police to create public hatred, and engaging in unlawful acts to impel police reactions are all part of a grand scheme created by the radical protesters to undermine the Hong Kong Government’s authority to maintain social order.
• These radical protesters carry out violent acts in the name of human rights, but are in fact violating the basic human rights of expression, safety and livelihood of other citizens who are neither part of this group nor share its radical views and tactics.
Hong Kong, China
In 1997, Hong Kong was rightfully handed over to its motherland China and became a Special Administrative Region of China. Since then, Hong Kong has continued to enjoy a high degree of autonomy, economic prosperity and social stability.
According to the World Bank, Hong Kong’s GDP was US$341.4 billion and GDP per capita was US$46,193.61 in 2017; unemployment rate was at 2.8 in 2018; and climbed to number 4 in 2019 on its lists of easiest places to do business, just after New Zealand, Singapore and Denmark. Until two months ago, Hong Kong had been one of the safest places in the world for visitors to visit.
In the 2019 Index of Economic Freedom, published by The Heritage Foundation, Hong Kong’s economic freedom score is 90.2, sustaining its status as the world’s freest economy in the 2019 Index. Hong Kong’s economic resilience, high-quality legal framework, low tolerance for corruption , high degree of government transparency, efficient regulatory framework and openness to global commerce continue to be recognized by that Foundation.
Hong Kong has also continued to rank 2nd globally in the latest World Competitiveness Yearbook (WCY) 2019, published by the International Institute for Management Development. The WCY once again recognized Hong Kong as one of the most competitive economies in the world.
Radical protesters continue to undermine Hong Kong government’s authority over law and order
Hong Kong is governed by the Basic Law, approved by the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China on 4 April 1990. The rights and freedoms of people in Hong Kong are based on the impartial rule of law and an independent judiciary.
The Extradition Bill as proposed by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Mrs. Carrie Lam, was intended as a mechanism to seek justice for one of its citizens, the Hong Kong woman who was murdered by her Hong Kong companion in Taiwan in 2018.
Unfortunately, radical protesters hijacked the well-intended bill and used it to spread fear among Hong Kongers and as a propaganda to undermine the Hong Kong Government’s authority to protect the right of one of its citizens even in her death.
Everyone is entitled to human rights of life, liberty and security, regardless of race, colour, gender, language, religion, nationality or social origin, political or other opinion. Human rights are never discriminatory and double standard can never be accepted.
The very nature of the police’s job is to enforce the law and maintain order, regardless of the police’s political or social opinion. Targeting the police with the intention to cause bodily harm, exposing the private information of the police and family members, and harassing or threatening the police families are acts of violation of the police’s human rights.
Disagreement with government policies does not give anyone carte blanche to take away the human rights of another person through violent acts. No one is above the law.
The people of Hong Kong support Hong Kong Government’s effort to stop the wide-spread violence and apprehend the violent protesters to maintain social order and protect the entire population.
Damaging impact of violent protests on Hong Kong’s economy and its people’s livelihood
Financial Secretary Paul Chan has issued grave warnings about the adverse impact the anti- extradition movement has had on Hong Kong’s economy.
As thousands of people joined the largest citywide strike in decades to protest against the government’s extradition bill crisis on August 5, Hong Kong suffered massive flight cancellations, commuter chaos, traffic jams and service disruptions. Economists had estimated on the economic cost of that day’s protests to be from US$38 million to US$332 million.
On August 15, Bloomberg reported that two months of protests “are slamming Hong Kong’s economy,” resulting in the following dire conditions:
• $622 billion of stock market losses since early July.
• 30-50% drop in foreign visitors to stores in June.
• 200 flights cancelled by Cathay Pacific during airport shutdown on August 12.
• 10% drop in housing prices Bank of America expects to see from the June peak.
• 17% decrease in the main index of property stocks since early July.
• Hong Kong IPOs since the start of June have raised $5.5 billion, down 74% from $19.63 billion a year earlier.
Conclusion
Hong Kong people respect their motherland China’s sovereignty over Hong Kong. People in Hong Kong are ethnically, culturally and socially Chinese in our way of lives, thinking and social interaction.
We, the Hong Kong Federation of Women, are concerned citizens who firmly believe in justice, and are putting together our best effort to restore harmony in our society. This is our statement about the true situation in Hong Kong.
(英文原稿 完)
本文系观察者网独家稿件,未经授权,不得转载。