HONG KONG, July 1: Less than an hour after Hong Kong reverted to Chinese rule today, 21 democratically elected lawmakers who lost their jobs under the new government defiantly protested from the balcony of their old legislature.

``We are proud to be Chinese, but we also ask this question: why must Chinese leaders take away our democracy'' Martin Lee, the leader of the Democratic Party, declared to 1,000 cheering supporters below.``We ask our own Chinese leaders to give Hong Kong more democracy.''With the midnight handover, Hong Kong's elected legislature was disbanded and replaced with an unelected one approved by China. Shortly after Lee's protest, it was sworn in during a ceremony at Hong Kong's convention center.The new legislature's leaders had forbidden Lee and the other former lawmakers from rallying and reading the manifesto from the second-story balcony of th colonnaded stone legislative building. But police and security guards did not try to stop Lee as he defied the order.

Lee and the other former legislators pledged to keep speaking up for the people while out of office. ``We shall return '' they shouted three times to cheers from the crowd.

Principal officials of the new Hong Kong special administrative region, led by chief executive Tung Chee-Hwa, were sworn in today at a ceremony in Hong Kong's convention centre.

Tung Chee-Hwa, 60, was followed by other leading officials, including a smiling chief secretary Anson Chan in a bright red ladies' suit, in swearing allegiance to Hong Kong with raised right hands. Chan and the rest of the cabinet continue in their old posts.

The oath was taken by Chinese Prime Minister Li Peng in Mandarin rather than the local Cantonese language that Hong Kong people speak. The special administrative region, which will have its own legal system, was proclaimed by Chinese President Jiang Zemin.

Most British officials were absent from the ceremony, having hurried away straight after the midnight handover ceremony.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.