ANSON CHAN JOINS WITH DEMOCRATS IN URGING PUBLIC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HONG KONG 002638

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NOFORN
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DEPT FOR EAP AND EAP/CM
NSC FOR DENNIS WILDER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/26/2031
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PREL HK CH
SUBJECT: ANSON CHAN JOINS WITH DEMOCRATS IN URGING PUBLIC
TO TURN OUT FOR JULY 1 DEMOCRACY MARCH

REF: HONG KONG 1819

Classified By: E/P Chief Simon Schuchat. Reasons: 1.4(b,d).


1. (C) Summary: On July 25, former Chief Secretary Anson
Chan announced that she would join the July 1 pro-democracy
march and urged Hong Kongers to turn out for the rally.
Appearing in a joint press conference with fourteen
democratic legislators, Chan denied that her decision to
participate in Saturday's demonstration was linked to a
possible Chief Executive (CE) campaign bid or that she wanted
to play a leading role in the democracy movement. Instead,
she emphasized her belief that democracy was the best form of
government for Hong Kong. When asked about a possible run
for CE, Chan was coy: "I want to wait and see before I decide
on my next step, as even I don't know what will happen over
the next few months." Chan also urged CE Donald Tsang to
fight for democracy and to be more inclusive of all political
parties. Chan's announcement was clearly intended to boost
attendance for Saturday's demonstration; organizers hope an
additional 20,000-30,000 people will join the march. While
many democrats welcomed Chan's announcement, a few were more
suspicious of her political motivations. End Summary.

Chan's Participation in July 1 Rally to Boost Turnout
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2. (C) On July 25, former Chief Secretary Anson Chan
announced that she would join the July 1 pro-democracy march
and urged Hong Kongers to turn out for the rally. This will
be Chan's first appearance at a July 1 march since the
pro-democracy tradition began in 2003, but her second time
participating in a democracy rally. Appearing in a joint
press conference with fourteen democratic legislators, Chan
denied that her decision to participate in Saturday's
demonstration was linked to a possible Chief Executive (CE)
campaign bid or that she wanted to play a leading role in the
democracy movement. Instead, Chan underscored her support
for democracy and said that her participation in Saturday's
rally was due to her belief that "the only possible and the
best foundation for Hong Kong is democracy and direct
elections." When asked about a possible run for CE, Chan
coyly replied, "I want to wait and see before I decide on my
next step, as even I don't know what will happen over the
next few months." (Comment: We were not surprised by Chan's
announcement; media speculation that she would march has been
widespread in recent days. We had also heard in the past
week from reliable sources that she planned to join the July
1 march. End Comment.)


3. (C) During her press conference, Chan disclosed that she
had phoned CE Donald Tsang on June 24 -- Tsang's first
anniversary in office -- to inform him of her decision to
join the July 1 march. She did not reveal Tsang's reaction
to her call. She added that she hoped Tsang would not take
her action as confrontational. Chan told reporters that she
did not want to comment on Tsang's performance, then pointed
out several areas for improvement. Chan urged Tsang to be
more inclusive of all political parties "even if they have
different views;" a clear criticism of Tsang's "core
partnership" with the pro-Beijing party, the Democratic
Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB)
(see reftel). Pan-democrats, said Chan, also needed to
improve their cooperation with the Government. Chan also hit
out at the Commission on Strategic Development, a Government
advisory body authorized by Tsang to look into the issue of
political reform. She pressed the Commission to put forward
more concrete recommendations on promoting universal
suffrage. And finally, Chan said, "Mr. Tsang should show
more effort and courage to fight for democracy."

Government Takes Low Key Approach
--------------


4. (SBU) A government spokesperson told the press that the
development of democracy was the common goal of the Hong Kong
and Central Governments and the community at large.
Financial Secretary Henry Tang was quoted as saying that he
respected Chan's decision and added that people had the
freedom of speech and expression.

Democrats Torn Between Joy and Suspicion
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5. (SBU) The joint announcement by Chan and democratic
legislators was clearly intended to boost attendance for
Saturday's demonstration. With last year's attendance

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estimated between 17,000 and 21,000, Chan's participation
might encourage an additional 20,000-30,000 people to join
the demonstration, said rally organizers. Democratic
legislator Lee Cheuk-yan told poloff on June 26 that the
democrats were happy about Chan's announcement, especially if
it boosted interest and participation in the July 1
demonstration. The one week lead-time of Chan's announcement
and the actual march should allow organizers sufficient time
to capitalize on Chan's participation and help mobilize
supporters. Former Chairman of the Democratic Party Martin
Lee told the press conference that he welcomed Chan's
participation in the demonstration. "Two years ago, nobody
could have expected that Donald Tsang would become our Chief
Executive. Likewise, a year ago, I would have not have
expected that Mrs. Chan would join this press conference. I
hope that a year later, Donald will also sit here with us to
strive for Hong Kong's full democracy."


6. (SBU) Chan's announcement was not welcomed by all
democrats, however. Several democrats who did not
participate in the June 25 press conference expressed concern
about Chan's motives. Independent democratic legislators
Albert Chan and Frederick Fung reportedly said that they had
reservations about cooperating with Chan in promoting the
July 1 rally as it might distort the meaning of the democracy
march, since the media attention might be focused on whether
she might join the CE race. Another independent democratic
legislator, Albert Cheng, said that there was no need for the
democrats to "deify" Chan or turn the democracy movement into
an anti-Donald Tsang campaign.


7. (C) On June 26, Chinese University of Hong Kong Professor
Timothy Wong speculated to poloff that Chan's high profile
decision to participate in the July 1 march was not merely
just a reflection of her democratic aspirations, but also had
a political element to it. There might be behind the scenes
maneuverings regarding Chan's decision to run for CE and her
participation in the July 1 march and criticisms of Donald
Tsang might be part of a broader scheme, said Wong. While

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the democrats will certainly benefit from Chan's
participation in Saturday's march, Chan will probably also
benefit from the exposure, said Wong.
Cunningham