HONG KONG - JOURNALISTS and newspapers in Hong Kong are increasingly practising self-censorship to prevent upsetting mainland China, one of the territory's most outspoken pro-democracy activists said on Wednesday.

Anson Chan, formerly a top Government official under both British and Chinese rule, said press freedom was being eroded in Hong Kong, a freewheeling international financial centre.

'You see increasing signs of self-censorship, and this is not healthy in terms of protecting press freedom,' Mr Chan said in a speech at the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondent Club.

'They should do something about it because press freedom is one of the cornerstones of Hong Kong's success.'

Mr Chan pointed to an attack in the press on Martin Lee, a veteran pro-democracy activist who last month called for the international community to press Beijing on its human rights record ahead of next year's Olympics.

But Mr Lee was vilified for inviting Western countries to intervene in China's domestic affairs, including by some of the territory's more moderate English-language newspapers.

He was branded a traitor, and accused of calling for a boycott of the Olympics, even though his editorial in the Wall Street Journal made no such mention.

Mr Chan accused the media of directing the attack on Mr Lee, who has long been at odds with the Beijing government over human rights and democracy in mainland China.

'I don't particularly support this concerted attack on Martin,' Mr Chan said.

'In an open, tolerant and pluralistic society like Hong Kong, we can surely tolerate different point of views.'

Clement So, director of the school of journalism and communications at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, agreed that there was growing evidence of self-censorship among local reporters.

'The media has become less critical and judgmental in their commentaries and their stance are getting close to the those of the government,' Mr So said. -- AP