Occupy Central
Occupy Central is a civil disobedience movement which began in Hong Kong on September 28, 2014. It calls on thousands of protesters to block roads and paralyse Hong Kong's financial district if the Beijing and Hong Kong governments do not agree to implement universal suffrage for the chief executive election in 2017 and the Legislative Council elections in 2020 according to "international standards." The movement was initiated by Benny Tai Yiu-ting (戴耀廷), an associate professor of law at the University of Hong Kong, in January 2013.
Umbrella Movement
The Umbrella Movement (Chinese: 雨傘運動; pinyin: yǔsǎn yùndòng) is a loose political movement that was created spontaneously during the Hong Kong protests of 2014. Its name derives from the recognition of the umbrella as a symbol of defiance and resistance against the Hong Kong government, and the united grass-roots objection to the decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC) of 31 August.
The movement consists of individuals numbering in the tens of thousands who participated in the protests that began on 28 September 2014, although Scholarism, the Hong Kong Federation of Students, Occupy Central with Love and Peace, groups are principally driving the demands for the rescission of the NPCSC decision.
The movement consists of individuals numbering in the tens of thousands who participated in the protests that began on 28 September 2014, although Scholarism, the Hong Kong Federation of Students, Occupy Central with Love and Peace, groups are principally driving the demands for the rescission of the NPCSC decision.
Occupy Central site in an area surrounding the Legislative Council and Central Government Offices at Tamar were cleared 22-06-2015.
Hong Kong reform vote
The Hong Kong government’s political reform proposal for how the city elects its leader by universal suffrage for the first time in 2017 is based on a strict framework set by Beijing. The plan limits the number of candidates to two or three and requires them to win majority support from a 1,200 strong nominating committee. Arguing that this does not constitute genuine universal suffrage, pan-democratic lawmakers have vowed to reject the package, while pro-democracy groups have protested. The government’s resolution was to be put to a vote by the 70-member Legislative Council in June 2015, requiring a two-thirds majority to be passed.
POST OCCUPY CENTRAL - DAY 221
POST REFORM VOTE：DAY 36
POST REFORM VOTE：DAY 36
Full coverage of the day’s events on 24-07
Police watchdog in threat to reveal facts on assault
The police watchdog warned it may be forced to make public facts about the assault on an Occupy Central protester by a retiring superintendent if its ruling on the case is not accepted by the body that receives such complaints.
Independent Police Complaints Council member Edwin Cheng Shing- lung said it will hold another meeting and decide on a date to make the disclosure if the Complaints Against Police Office does not accept its conclusion on the assault.
It may even report the matter to Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, Cheng said yesterday.
"The IPCC might consider reporting the matter to the chief executive [though] we cannot control how he deals with the case, such as asking the police commissioner for instance," he said.
An IPCC spokeswoman said the council notified CAPO yesterday morning about the result of its meeting.
"Our memo has been delivered to CAPO," she said.
A police spokesman said CAPO is addressing the case according to the established mechanism.
"While CAPO is investigating a case, it will not be affected by the staff's retirement," he said.
"In each case, CAPO will conduct an impartial and fair investigation."
Cheng said 21 out of 28 IPCC members attended the meeting yesterday and those who were absent expressed their opinions via voice messages.
"The atmosphere at the meeting was heated, but I believe everyone discussed the issues based on facts," he said.
It is understood 17 members backed the original ruling on July 10, which found superintendent Franklin Chu King-wai had assaulted Osman Cheng Chung-hang with his baton.
Three members expressed dissenting views and one abstained.
A source told The Standard the three dissenters were Lawrence Ma Yan- kwok, Ann So Lai-chun and Cheng Kam-chung. Eugene Chan Kin-keung abstained.
The source revealed most members supported the original finding and the meeting should have ended early.
But several members voiced dissenting opinions and interrupted the voting process.
Osman Cheng expressed hopes the police would arrest Chu within two weeks.
If this does not happen, he will launch a private prosecution or take civil action against Chu, he said.
"This happened over half a year ago and I hope this case will end as soon as possible. Two weeks should be sufficient [to police] ... I hope CAPO handles this as soon as possible."
He has no confidence in the ability of the chief executive to uphold justice if he is asked to rule on the case.
Jasper Tsang says he is too old to run in the election for a new chief executive to replace Leung Chun-ying (inset). Photos: HKEJ, CNSA
Tsang: If I were 10 years younger, I’d run for chief executive
Legislative Council president Jasper Tsang Yok-sing said he would run for chief executive in the 2017 election if he were 10 years younger.
Tsang, 68, is the elder brother of Tsang Tak-sing, who was dismissed as secretary for home affairs by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying earlier this week.
“If I were 10 years younger, I would run in the 2017 chief executive election and say, ‘How dare you play tricks on me?’ — but I have gone past the period of life when I was so impatient. I will not be provoked today,” Tsang told RTHK in an interview.
He said someone did something that ticked him off but did not name that person.
Tsang was embroiled in the controversial goings-on in Legco on June 18 that culminated in a botched walkout by pro-establishment lawmakers, leading to a resounding defeat for the government’s electoral reform bill.
Leaked WhatsApp transcripts showed him playing a coordinating role among the pro-Beijing legislators in the debate before the historic vote, contrary to the impartiality expected from the speaker of the legislature, but he appeared to be wrong-footed when most of them suddenly stood up and left the chamber.
Tsang reiterated in the RTHK interview that he has no plans to run for chief executive.
He said he will focus on policy research with a think tank when he steps down after the Legco election next year.
In an article in am730 on Thursday, Tsang said a high intelligence quotient (IQ), emotional quotient (EQ) and creative quotient (CQ) are essential elements of a good leader.
He said a leader with high EQ should not be egocentric or heartless but understand others and know how to win trust from different people.
Tsang said his brother had not offered to leave the government, suggesting that he was sacked by Leung.
Political commentator Joseph Wong Wing-ping questioned the cabinet reshuffle, in which the secretary for the civil service, Paul Tang Kwok-wai, was also replaced.
Wong, one of Tang’s predecessors, said in his column in am730 that the manner in which the cabinet changes were announced was unusual.
Leung was alone at a news conference to announce the reshuffle, contrary to the common practice in which the chief executive holds a media conference with both the incumbent secretaries and their replacements present, Wong said.
Wong said there was “some evidence” that Tsang and Leung did not have the best of working relationships.
He cited the example of Tsang thwarting Leung’s desire for the plans for the Kai Tak sports complex to be scaled down to release land to build homes.
James Tien has become more outspoken since he was removed as a member of China's top political advisory body last October. Photo: Facebook
James Tien fires away with sarcastic Facebook posts
Legislator James Tien Pei-chun posted a sarcastic message on his Facebook account on Wednesday, which many believe is aimed at Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying.
In his post, Tien says people would rush into a hot kitchen to help if the chef is a capable one, but if they think the chef is incompetent, everyone will try to get out.
Tien’s comment seems to be referring to the replacement of Tsang Tak-sing and Paul Tang Kowk-wai as Secretary for Home Affairs and Secretary for the Civil Service, respectively, on Tuesday.
A netizen asks if Tien is showing his disdain for the two former ministers, while others joke that Tien is taking time out from his vacation in Hawaii to mock the administration.
In another Facebook post, Tien is pictured outside a restaurant wearing shorts, and in the caption, he jokingly asks if he looks like a likely suspect in the leakage of WhatsApp messages involving Legislative Council President Jasper Tsang Yok-sing and pro-establishment lawmakers in last month’s voting on the government’s political reform bill.
Independent lawmaker Paul Tse Wai-chun was considered by many sources as the one who leaked the text messages, and he is known to wear shorts during Legco meetings.
Coconuts
Second IPCC vote maintains that police brutality case is 'substantiated', officer retires
Hong Kong's police watchdog, the Independent Police Complaint Council (IPCC), has reaffirmed its stance that its findings on a police brutality case are “substantiated” after a second round of voting yesterday.
Superintendent Franklin Chu is accused of with his baton on Nov. 26, at the height of last year's Occupy movement, outside the Mong Kok police station while he was on crowd control duties. His act, caught on camera, caused huge controversy.
The victim, a Mong Kok resident, was not a participant in the protests.
The second vote, which happened yesterday, occurred after the police rejected the council's initial decision, in which they found the case was “substantiated”. Local media reported that the police petitioned to change the ruling to “not fully substantiated”.
In the latest vote, 17 voted in favour, while three voted against the "subtantiated" verdict, with one abstaining, reports .
Hong Kong's Chief Executive CY Leung will have to make the final decision if the council and the police are unable to come to an agreement. .
The policeman in question, Franklin Chu, retired yesterday. He has previously testified that he had just "touched" the pedestrian's back. The baton, he testified, was “an extension of his arm” which he used to “pat” the victim, .
Osman Cheng, the man who was hit, is sceptical that justice will be served. He said he does not believe CY Leung will deliver a fair judgement should no conclusion be reached, .
He said he is considering pursuing a private prosecution and is currently seeking legal advice from his lawyer.
In another high-profile case, seven policemen appeared to be beating a protester in footage captured by TVB last year. The officers in question have not been prosecuted.
Superintendent Franklin Chu is accused of with his baton on Nov. 26, at the height of last year's Occupy movement, outside the Mong Kok police station while he was on crowd control duties. His act, caught on camera, caused huge controversy.
The victim, a Mong Kok resident, was not a participant in the protests.
The second vote, which happened yesterday, occurred after the police rejected the council's initial decision, in which they found the case was “substantiated”. Local media reported that the police petitioned to change the ruling to “not fully substantiated”.
In the latest vote, 17 voted in favour, while three voted against the "subtantiated" verdict, with one abstaining, reports .
Hong Kong's Chief Executive CY Leung will have to make the final decision if the council and the police are unable to come to an agreement. .
The policeman in question, Franklin Chu, retired yesterday. He has previously testified that he had just "touched" the pedestrian's back. The baton, he testified, was “an extension of his arm” which he used to “pat” the victim, .
Osman Cheng, the man who was hit, is sceptical that justice will be served. He said he does not believe CY Leung will deliver a fair judgement should no conclusion be reached, .
He said he is considering pursuing a private prosecution and is currently seeking legal advice from his lawyer.
In another high-profile case, seven policemen appeared to be beating a protester in footage captured by TVB last year. The officers in question have not been prosecuted.
Pro-Occupy’ broadcaster RTHK ‘hurts the feelings of Hong Kongers’, claim pro-police protesters
Members of a pro-police group have accused local broadcaster RTHK of producing TV programmes critical of the government and in favour of last year’s pro-democracy Occupy protests.
Around ten protesters from the Justice Alliance arrived by tour bus at RTHK’s headquarters on Thursday to protest against the broadcaster’s “biased” reporting.
They called RTHK a broadcaster that “hurts the feelings of Hong Kongers”. The group said that the publicly funded broadcaster had a tendency to pick on the government, as well as give airtime to guests who speak in favour of last year’s Occupy demonstrations.
The demonstrators wore imperial Chinese attire to mock an RTHK political commentary show that used similar clothing in a role play.
Leticia Lee and members of Justice Alliance give petition letter to an RTHK representative. Photo: TVB.
Prior to the protest, the group had gathered at Wanchai Police Station to show support for the force. Leticia Lee See-yin, who led the two demonstrations, said that the police force was the “hope” for Hong Kong’s rule of law, which was being “destroyed” by some Hong Kongers “in the name of freedom of expression”.
Lee is an outspoken activist known for her leadership role within several anti-Occupy and pro-police groups. She led the Justice Alliance to protest on HKU and CUHK campuses during a citywide class boycott last September. Last month, Lee announced that she would besetting up a political party called Justice Alliance Party.
RTHK’s veteran journalist Joseph Tse Chi-fung, who met with the alliance at the demonstration, denies the accusation that RTHK is biased. “We’re committed to running an open platform that accommodates different opinions. I believe we have fulfilled our duties as journalists.”
He added, “As a governmental department, we listen to public opinion and handle every complaint. But on this occasion [the group] didn’t seem to have a clear demand, so it’s difficult to give them a response.”
In a video shot by the alliance, Tse is referred to as a “moron” and appears to be ridiculed by the demonstrators. Asked how he handled the situation, Tse said, “They won’t listen to you. So the way I approach it is to explain philosophical concepts in a light-hearted manner: They said I was a dog, I told them ‘I’m a watchdog.’ They accused me of being paid (by pan-democrats) to criticise the government, I told them I’m indeed employed by RTHK to be a watchdog.”
Letitia Lee speaks with Joseph Tse. The subtitle refers Tse to a moron. Photo: Justice Alliance via Facebook.
Tse has been targeted by supporters of the government, who criticise him for being biased and inviting pan-democrats to his weekly televised debate City Forum. On multiple occasions, security guards had to ask pro-government supporters, who kept interrupting the forum, to leave.
Francis Moriarty, former RTHK journalist and founder of the press freedom committee of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club, told HKFP that the alliance had a right to free speech and protest, and protests like this did not pose a threat to journalists’ work.
“The most worrisome pressures on press freedom are those you cannot see, and assaults committed by those who are hard to prosecute and working for unknown employers, such as those behind the attack on Kevin Lau,” said Moriarty.
Kevin Lau Chun-to, ex-editor for local newspaper Ming Pao, was attacked with a cleaver on the street last year. His attack raised widespread concern that local journalists had become targets of assault. A court heard on Wednesday that two suspects admitted to being paid HK$100,000 each in the “meticulously planned” attack.
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