anson chan, in hong kong, welcome to hardtalk. thank you.n your city, we have seen three months now of street demonstrations and protests. they have become increasingly violent. is your heart and your head still with the protest movement? yes, very much so. i think it is a pity that there is escalating violence, both on the part of the protesters, although involving a very small number of people, but also on the part of the police. the police are increasingly brutal and unrestrained in exercise of their powers. but i'm very much behind the underlying causes of this movement. it is about hong kong's fight to defend basic freedoms, civil liberties and to demand political prime participation through fair and open elections on the basis of one man, one vote. all of which promised in thejoint declaration and hong kong's basic law, the basic law which is our mini constitution. you've just defined the protest movement's objectives in very broad terms, but it seems to me if i remember back tojune of this year, there was one very clear motivation and

joining me from hong kong is anson chan, former chief secretary of hong kong.forjoining us on newsday. first of all, we saw thousands of protesters marching peacefully to the us consulate to drum up support from washington. in your view, should the americans get involved? well, america has a genuine stake in hong kong stop it has substantial investments, and it has substantial investments, and it has its nationals living in hong kong. we have a special relationship with the americans on the basis of the hong kong policy act that was passed by the us congress in 1982, i believe. and on this basis, america gives hong kong favoured treatment, because we are supposed to have a system that is entirely different from that in the mainland. but clearly that is no longer the case, and so it is perfectly legitimate for the americans to say, if two systems becomes 1.5 systems, or very $0011 one systems becomes 1.5 systems, or very soon one system, then we have to review the whole basis upon which hong kong currently enjoys favoured treatment. but so far they have stayed a

anson chan is the former chief secretary of hong kong. america has a genuine stake in hong kong.tial investments and it has its nationals living in hong kong. we have a special relationship with the americans on the basis of the hong kong policy act, that was passed by the us congress in 1992, i believe. and on this basis, america gives hong kong favoured treatment, because we are supposed to have a system that is entirely different from that in the mainland. but clearly that is no longer the case, and so it is perfectly legitimate for the americans to say, if two systems becomes 1.5 systems, or very soon one system, then we have to review the whole basis upon which hong kong currently enjoys favoured treatment. but so far, they have stayed away, after 1a weeks of protests. why are they staying on the sidelines, the americans? the americans have not stayed on the sidelines. congress has been in recess, but it's meeting again next monday, and we expect the hong kong human rights and democracy act to be considered. but it's notjust american support that i think hong kong needs. we

anson chan is the former chief secretary of hong kong. america has a genuine stake in hong kong.d it has its nationals living in hong kong. we have a special relationship with the americans on the basis of the hong kong policy act, that was passed by the us congress in 1992, i believe. and on this basis, america gives hong kong favoured treatment, because we are supposed to have a system that is entirely different from that in the mainland. but clearly that is no longer the case, and so it is perfectly legitimate for the americans to say, if two systems becomes 1.5 systems, or very soon one system, then we have to review the whole basis upon which hong kong currently enjoys favoured treatment. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: 0ur thrill—seeking security correspondent frank gardner swaps his wheelchair for a wetsuit and waterski. george w bush: freedom itself was attacked this morning, and freedom will be defended. the united states will hunt down and punish those responsible. bishop tutu now becomes spiritual leader of 100,000 anglicans here, of the blacks in soweto towns