Standing Committee on Pressure Groups

Standing Committee on Pressure Groups

The Standing Committee on Pressure Groups (SCOPG) was a secret committee set up in 1978 by the Hong Kong government to monitor the activities of pressure groups. The existence of this committee was first revealed in the New Statesman on December 12, 1980. The article, written by Duncan Campbell, asserted that any political group had been subjected to surveillance. Furthermore the SCOPG had actively sought to undermine, co-opt or coerce eleven groups that were specifically targeted in a confidential report obtained by the paper. What was even more surprising, the SCOPG had been set up to infiltrate pressure groups. The greatest emphasis was placed on a group called the Hong Kong Observers Ltd. Due to political pressure the committee ceased to exist in 1983.

Government response

The government officially recognized the existence of the committee but denied that it had any sinister motives. The claim was that it was set up to monitor pressure groups in order to better understand the groups' opinions. Furthermore the government attacked the "New Statesman" for inaccuracies and lies (such as the allegation that the committee had sought to infiltrate pressure groups). The report had also put pressure on the government to reveal details about the Special Branch, which Campbell had put at 20% of the police force. The government rejected these figures and also asserted that the staff of 1,200 was used to accommodate state visits, avert terrorist acts, and subversive activities by Kuomintang agents.

Later revelations

The Hong Kong Standard revealed on January 16, 1981 that there were personal attacks as well as plans for possible infiltration of groups such as school and college associations. The paper reported that the goal of the SCOPG was to protect Hong Kong's image abroad. On January 28, 1981 the same paper reported on a 'Red List' after it had obtained 11 further confidential reports. The three groups that were supposedly threatened by Communist infiltration were the Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union (HKPTU)(headed by Szeto Wah), the Hong Kong Federation of Students (HKFS) and the Government School Non-Graduate Teachers Union (GSNTU). In response to this revelation, the government said that this report did not reflect the official opinion of the government.

Destruction of the files

In 1995, the government admitted that almost all the files related to the SCOPG report had been destroyed during the 1980s "for record management purposes." [http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr94-95/english/lc_sitg/hansard/h950510.pdf] The secretary for security, Peter Lai Hong-Ling, also stated: "Government policy provides for the review of classified material. Government files are destroyed for record management purposes when they no longer serve a useful purpose." The government refused to answer further questions about the committee and declared that no new similar committee had been set up.

References

* Duncan Campbell. "Colonialism: A Secret Plan for Dictatorship" "New Statesman" December 12, 1980.
* Lo Shiu-hing (1996): The Politics of Democratization in Hong Kong. ISBN 0-333-68392-7
* [http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/newspaper/index.jsp Hong Kong Newspaper Clippings Online]
* Hong Kong Legislative Council, [http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr94-95/english/lc_sitg/hansard/h950510.pdf Official Record of Proceedings] , May 10, 1995.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Blood pressure — For information about high blood pressure, see Hypertension. Blood pressure Diagnostics A sphygmomanometer, a device used for measuring arterial pressure. MeSH …   Wikipedia

  • International Committee of the Red Cross — ICRC redirects here. For other uses, see ICRC (disambiguation). The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a private humanitarian institution based in Geneva, Switzerland. The community of states has given the ICRC a unique role,… …   Wikipedia

  • United States Congress Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction — The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction,[1] colloquially referred to as the Supercommittee, is a joint select committee of the United States Congress, created by the Budget Control Act of 2011 on August 2, 2011. The act was intended to… …   Wikipedia

  • Duncan Campbell (journalist) — For other persons named Duncan Campbell, see Duncan Campbell (disambiguation). Duncan Campbell is a British freelance investigative journalist, author and television producer who, since 1975, has specialised in the subjects of intelligence and… …   Wikipedia

  • Hong Kong Federation of Students — (zh t|t=香港專上學生聯會) is the biggest student organization in Hong Kong. It is formed by the students union of 7 tertiary education institutions. It has 51,779 members as of March 2006. Its purpose is to push students movements and increase the… …   Wikipedia

  • Duncan Campbell (investigative journalist) — Duncan Campbell is a British freelance investigative journalist and television producer who has specialised in intelligence issues, was prosecuted under the Official Secrets Act in the ABC Trial in 1978 and made the controversial series Secret… …   Wikipedia

  • Duncan Campbell — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Campbell. Ne pas confondre avec Duncan Campbell, journaliste du Guardian. Duncan Campbell est un journaliste d investigation britannique et un producteur d émissions télévisées. Travailleur indépendant, il est… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • china — /chuy neuh/, n. 1. a translucent ceramic material, biscuit fired at a high temperature, its glaze fired at a low temperature. 2. any porcelain ware. 3. plates, cups, saucers, etc., collectively. 4. figurines made of porcelain or ceramic material …   Universalium

  • China — /chuy neuh/, n. 1. People s Republic of, a country in E Asia. 1,221,591,778; 3,691,502 sq. mi. (9,560,990 sq. km). Cap.: Beijing. 2. Republic of. Also called Nationalist China. a republic consisting mainly of the island of Taiwan off the SE coast …   Universalium

  • United Kingdom — a kingdom in NW Europe, consisting of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: formerly comprising Great Britain and Ireland 1801 1922. 58,610,182; 94,242 sq. mi. (244,100 sq. km). Cap.: London. Abbr.: U.K. Official name, United Kingdom of Great… …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”