The SAR government treasures freedom of speech and the press as much as the community does since they are the cornerstones of Hong Kong's success, a government spokesman said last night.

It is also determined to uphold the rule of law that protects the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong people, he said in a statement.

We'll not tolerate any acts of intimidation, threat, criminal damage or violence against any individual or organization, he said.

He made the remark after political celebrity Allen Lee explained, at a Legislative Council panel meeting, why he had quit his post at the radio talkshow Teacup in a Storm.

Lee said he had felt mounting pressure.

Lee was the only radio talkshow host to give a statement at the LegCo home affairs panel special meeting yesterday. Two other hosts, Albert Cheng and Raymond Wong, refused to attend the meeting, citing fears for personal safety. The trio quit their respective radio programmes consecutively this month.

Reading a written statement, Lee said he hoped his departure could save his family from possible nuisance.

On May 18, he recalled, a man surnamed Chen, who claimed to be a retired mainland official, rang him at home at 10:30 in the evening.

Chen allegedly said that he would like to see Lee as he was in Hong Kong, adding that he had already seen Lee's wife and daughter on a public occasion in the past.

The telephone call changed Lee's mind and he quit the next day.

After I hung up, I thought about it for four hours, Lee said.

Aside from my close friends on the mainland, I believed more would try to talk to me. But how many times could I possibly turn them down and to what level of people could I refuse to meet? He asked.

He said his decision to quit was right because after I quit, I received no more telephone calls from people who wanted to see me.

The afternoon after I announced my resignation, a close friend of mine on the mainland called me and said he was very happy that I had quit, he said.

He disclosed to the panel that he had sought consent from National People's Congress (NPC) Chairman Wu Bangguo before taking up the host role from Cheng.

I got a very clear message from the central government that there would be no role conflict for being a NPC deputy and a radio host at the same time, Lee said.

Prior to securing consent from Beijing, Lee said a friend of his who had previously arranged for him to meet leaders at Zhongnanhai, the seat of the central government, had also asked him to weigh the balance.

Lee also referred to two China Daily articles that criticized him for his remarks on the NPC's interpretation of the Basic Law annexes and decision on Hong Kong's electoral arrangements for 2007/08. Lee said he had clarified with mainland officials that the two pieces did not represent the central governments view.

Lee said mainland officials recently told him that he may host the programme again should he wish to.

But I don't want to face the same situation time and again. I don't need anyone to tell me how to conduct a programme, Lee added. He urged the government to investigate the cases of Cheng and Wong.

Police yesterday said that investigations into the cases were underway and a case related to the attack of one of the radio hosts several years before would be heard by a court soon.

A police spokesman said anybody who felt intimidated should report to the police.

Ma Fung-kwok, of the New Century Forum, asked why Lee did not report to the police if he felt threatened.

Tsang Yok-sing, ex-chairman of the Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong, queried if Lee had overreacted to the enquiries, asking if he and his family members felt threatened at that point.

Lee replied: I have never used the word intimidation. I don't want to be taken to be a nut.

'Lee only expressing his personal view'

The comments in the Legislative Council (LegCo) of Allen Lee, former host of radio talkshow Teacup in a Storm, were only a personal opinion.

The point was made by Wong King-keung, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Wong was commenting on Lee's remarks at the home affairs panel special meeting yesterday.

The central government has never prevented him from working as a radio host, Wong said. Isn't it only normal for officials to remind him if he has made misleading remarks or inaccurate claims?

Wong said he did not think Beijing had deliberately put pressure on Lee.

Suggestion in this direction would only deepen the misunderstanding between the people in Hong Kong and the central government, Wong said.

CPPCC delegate, Lau Nai-keung, said the statement heard by the LegCo panel created a sense of suspense.

Lau said Lee could have clearly answered at the panel meeting whether he and his family had been threatened. He said the retired mainland official whom Lee referred to could be passing regards to Lees wife and daughter when he spoke of them over the phone.

NPC deputy Raymond Wu said Lee's statement was obscure, and his remarks seemed to exhaust peoples imaginative power to create some kind of white terror prior to the Legislative Council elections.

He's all but lobbying votes for the pro-democracy camp, Wu said.

(China Daily HK Edition May 28, 2004)