Patten Calls For UN Special Envoy For Hong Kong

Hong Kong's last colonial governor, Chris Patten, has called for the appointment of a United Nations special envoy to defend human rights in the SAR, following Beijing's decision to enact national security laws here.

More than 700 parliamentarians from 36 countries have already joined a coalition, led by Patten, against the imposition of the laws and they are calling for governments to unite against what they describes as 'a flagrant breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration’.

In a statement published by the British NGO Hong Kong Watch, Patten said a UN special envoy for Hong Kong would help monitor human rights and encourage dialogue and reconciliation; and many UN member states would support the constructive proposal.

Such a move would almost certainly anger Beijing, which has accused western powers of interfering in its affairs. It says the laws are needed to maintain stability in Hong Kong, which has seen months of anti-government protests, and it has the authority to impose them.

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