| Abstract | While debate continues over the rule of law in Hong Kong after 1997, some fear China may already have taken legal enforcement into its hands. On March 18, marine police in the territory encountered a mainland security boat pulling a Hong Kong tug and a derrick lighter 13 km inside local waters. The officers tried to board the vessels. But, they say, their maindland counterparts kept them at bay for three hours with submachine guns before speeding away. Both Hong Kong vessels are now moored at an island off the Zhuhai special economic zone, adjacent to Macau. Their two crew members, both from Hong Kong, remain in China's custody. |
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