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Victor was one of the few missionaries who stayed in Hong Kong after the British handover to China in 1997. Since then, Victor (who asked that his real name not be used) has steadily built up Christian contacts in China. He now visits the mainland regularly to teach in unregistered churches.

Victor recently met a Christian leader from an Asian country who offered to send him compelling evidence of religious persecution in that leader's country. "I handed him my card," Victor said. "Looking at it, his expression changed. 'Oh, I can't send you this information. Hong Kong is in China.' "

Although Victor was shocked by the response, such fears may soon be justified. Yet in the five years since the handover, Hong Kong Christians have few complaints about political or religious freedom.

Christians in Hong Kong constitute about 10 percent of the territory's 6.9 million people. They operate more than 500 schools and 60 percent of the social organizations. They also run 25 percent of Hong Kong's hospitals.

Religious leaders are warning that human rights and religious freedom now hang in the balance. New enabling legislation, based on Article 23 of Hong Kong's Basic Law, could sharply curtail religious liberties in Hong Kong. Bishop Zen, leader of the Catholic Church in Hong Kong, said the legislation is "very dangerous" and "full of hidden traps."

Under Article 23 of the Basic Law, Hong Kong has been required to outlaw subversion, sedition, and other crimes against the state. Article 23 has never been implemented with specific prohibitions or penalties.

In the 1984 Sino-British Declaration, China promised to keep Hong Kong's freedoms untouched for 50 years after the handover.

"I see this as a daily life threat," said Rose Wu, director of the Hong Kong Christian Institute, a nonprofit organization that seeks to involve Christians in civil society. "This has created an atmosphere of fear that will affect everybody."

No date has been set for implementing the new regulations. Hong Kong's Legislative Council may approve them by the end of June.

Article 23 states: "The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall enact laws on its own to prohibit any act of treason, secession, sedition, subversion against the Central People's Government, or theft of state secrets, to prohibit foreign political organizations or bodies from conducting political activities in the Region, and to prohibit political organizations or bodies of the Region from establishing ties with foreign political organizations or bodies."

Critics are calling on authorities to issue a white paper to clearly explain how Article 23 will be implemented. No white paper has been issued so far. The government stopped accepting public comment on the new regulations on December 24 after receiving 90,000 comments.

Some believe the legislation will compromise ministries' privacy. "Under the proposed legislation, mere suspicion of any of the [listed] offenses could bring police officers to our computers and filing cabinets, putting the security of those we serve at great risk," Victor said.

Many ministries in Hong Kong have connections with banned religious organizations on the mainland. Humanitarian assistance to such groups could cause problems for Hong Kong-based ministries.

"It is not unimaginable that our prayer letters could be considered seditious publications," said Lyla Stephens, director of Christian Solidarity Worldwide Hong Kong.

In December, Rose Wu and several leaders from nongovernmental groups coordinated one of the largest rallies in Hong Kong in five years. More than

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March 2003, Vol. 47, No. 3