Hong Kong – Beijing has warned new Hong Kong lawmakers not to back independence for the semi-autonomous city after young anti-China activists won seats for the first time in key weekend elections.

Sunday’s vote saw activists pushing for more autonomy from Beijing secure a crucial foothold in the city’s Legislative Council (LegCo), as fears grow that China is tightening its grip.

It was the first major poll since pro-democracy rallies in 2014 failed to win concessions on political reform from Beijing.

Hong Kong elections 2016

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AFP

Some student protest leaders were among those winning seats in the landmark vote. Five candidates advocating independence or self-determination for Hong Kong are to sit in the 70-seat assembly.

In a statement late Monday, China said that it would not tolerate any talk of independence “inside or outside” the legislature.

“We firmly oppose any activity relating to Hong Kong independence in any form, inside or outside the Legislative Council, and firmly support the Hong Kong government to impose punishment in accordance with the law,” state news agency Xinhua cited a spokesperson of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the State Council – China’s cabinet – as saying.

The vote saw the highest turnout since Hong Kong was handed back to China by Britain in 1997 under a “one country, two systems” deal that protected the city’s freedoms for 50 years.

Fears that Beijing interference is now threatening those liberties in a range of areas, from politics to education and media, have sparked the birth of the independence movement.

It has been slammed by authorities in Hong Kong and Beijing as illegal and unconstitutional.

The Hong Kong edition of the state-owned China Daily warned Tuesday that wins by activists could mean “separatist ideas” emerge in LegCo.

In a separate column in the newspaper, a China-based academic said there could be legal challenges to lawmakers advocating independence, citing a law under which a candidate or group of voters can lodge a petition against an elected member they believe is ineligible or has acted “illegally”.

Lawmakers will take up their seats on October 1 and will have to swear an oath to uphold the Basic Law – Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, which describes the city as part of China.

It is not yet clear what may happen if they then advocate independence as a possibility for Hong Kong in the legislature.

Political analyst Chung Kim-wah of Polytechnic University said the government would need to be wary of exacerbating divisions in society by freezing out those pushing for more autonomy, known as “localists”.

“Localists got 20 percent of the total votes, including ones that were not voted in. They represent part of society. The government cannot just hastily disqualify them,” he told AFP.

However, the government has already taken steps to deter the pro-independence camp.

It introduced a controversial new form before the LegCo election which required candidates to verify they understood Hong Kong was an “inalienable part of China”. Many refused to sign it.

The most strident independence activists were banned from standing, causing widespread outrage.

Hong Kong’s unpopular leader Leung Chun-ying, seen by critics as a stooge of Beijing, said Tuesday that all lawmakers must abide by the Basic Law.

However, he added that he wanted to cooperate with all legislators.

“(I) hope we can all work for society together,” Leung told reporters.

Anti-establishment parties increased their share of the legislature, taking 30 of 70 seats.

It is almost impossible for them to take a majority, as 30 seats are appointed by special interest groups that tend to be pro-Beijing.

Vientiane – Myanmar’s newly installed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi will visit the United States next week, US President Barack Obama said Tuesday.

Plans for a visit had previously been announced in July but no date had been given by either side.

During a speech in Laos, Obama revealed Suu Kyi’s trip to Washington was imminent.

“I look forward to welcoming State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi to the White House next week as we stand with the people of Myanmar in their journey towards pluralism and peace,” he said.

The invitation reinforces Suu Kyi’s primacy on the international stage as the real head of a government she is technically barred from leading.

Despite winning a landslide in last November’s elections, which ended decades of brutal military rule, the Nobel laureate is banned from being president by a junta-era constitution.

Instead she has taken the role of foreign minister and created a new position for herself as state counsellor. She has also appointed long term friend and ally, Htin Kyaw, to be a proxy president.

Obama and Suu Kyi first met in 2012 shortly after the veteran dissident was released from house arrest where she had spent much of the last two decades under junta rule.

He also met Suu Kyi during a visit to Myanmar in 2014, when he criticised the ban on her taking the presidency.

Myanmar’s peaceful transition from military to civilian rule has been hailed in a world where such transitions seem rare.

But the military, who spent decades brutalising the population and enriching themselves, remain enormously influential.

Officers are still guaranteed a quarter of legislative seats, giving them a veto on constitutional change, while the military retains control of the crucial home, border and defence ministries.

They also control huge business conglomerates, with some key army-linked figures still under US sanctions.

There have been suggestions Washington may lift some of those sanctions during Suu Kyi’s visit, something rights groups have balked at.

“US sanctions are focused on the Burmese generals and their cronies in order to encourage democratic reforms,” said John Sifton, from Human Rights Watch.

“They shouldn’t be fully lifted until the democratic transition is irreversible.”