Issue 11 (2001)

When Hong Kong was returned to mainland Chinese rule in July 1997, the inevitable demise of media autonomy, academic freedom and judiciary independence was a major concern in the ‘one country two systems’ form of governance. Four years after the handover, the level of public discourse, number of publication titles, tabloidese, civic protests and political debates are as active as then.

This issue begins with two contributions by Yan Mei Ning and Tim Hamlett who paint a picture of how freedom of expression is continually being re-defined, curtailed, yet in other ways protected by the judiciary in its judgement of defamation cases.

-Eric Loo, Editor