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 232
POST REFORM VOTE：DAY 47 (04-08-2015)
POST REFORM VOTE：DAY 47 (04-08-2015)
Full coverage of the day’s events
Coconuts HKFrontline
Police seek advice from justice department on superintendent assault case
Hong Kong police are seeking legal advice from the Department of Justice regarding an allegation that a retired superintendent assaulted pedestrians during last year’s pro-democracy Occupy protests.
Alan Lau Yip-shing, director of the police’s operations department,said in an RTHK programme on Saturday that the police force is “carefully considering” the report by the Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC). It is seeking legal advice from the Justice Department before deciding upon the next step, Lau said.
He asked the public to give police and the IPCC time to handle the case, and promised to release updates as soon as possible.
Lau Yip-shing (small picture) speaks in an RTHK programme on Chu’s case. Photo: Apple Daily & Stand News.
Retired superintendent Chu King-wai was filmed hitting pedestrians in Mong Kok in November last year. Upon receiving complaints from a man who was videotaped being hit by Chu, the Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) investigated the case and reportedly voted 12:6 in favour of substantiating Chu’s case of assault last month.
Police rejected the IPCC’s ruling two weeks ago and asked for another vote on the case, upsetting the public and sparking several small protests. The IPCC subsequently held a meeting to discuss whether to accept new documents submitted by the police on July 23, and decided to uphold its ruling.
The IPCC publicity committee chairman said that the council members had watched the related videos over 100 times, and have a “clear understanding of what the officer was doing”.
If police insist on overturning the IPCC’s decision, the IPCC will need to submit a report to Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying who will make a final decision on the case. Some are worried that Leung would not handle the case with impartiality.
In a testimony obtained by local newspaper Ming Pao, Chu is quoted saying that he “unintentionally touched” pedestrians with his baton, and that he was only using his baton “as an extension of [his] arm to pat” Cheng.
A number of alleged police abuse cases emerged during the Occupy demonstrations last year. The police force has subsequently suffered a drop in public trust, according to a recent CUHK survey. Another survey conducted by HKU in June found that public satisfaction with the police force had declined to its lowest level since 2012.
TVB footage shows seven police beating Ken Tsang.
In another widely publicised Occupy-related case, seven police officers were arrested after TV footage emerged showing them beating Ken Tsang, a member of the Civic Party. Lau, the police operations director, said that the case had been handed over to the Justice Department and was a priority. He said the police would not tolerate any violation of the law by its own officers.
Official figures reveal that of the 829 complaints of police assault between 2011 and 2013, none were substantiated.
Pro-gov’t group mocks Occupy protesters amid boos at pro-police rally
Shouting matches ensued as pro-Beijing group Justice Alliance and pro-localism group Civic Passion faced off during protests supporting and opposing the police force on Saturday.
Outspoken pro-Beijing activist Leticia Lee See-yin led the Justice Alliance to organise a pro-police protest at Chater Garden in Central on Saturday. About 100 people attended the protest, according tomedia reports. Lee was seen dancing and playing the role of a “school girl” during a mock stage drama parodying last year’s pro-democracy Occupy protests.
Lee said the demonstration was to remind people of the police’s “hard work” during the Occupy protests in 2014, according to Wenweipo. She told the pro-Beijing newspaper that alleged police abuse cases, including superintendent Chu King-wai’s alleged assault on pedestrians and the Ken Tsang case, were only “individual incidents” and did not represent the overall performance of the police force.
Priscilla Leung Mei-fun, a lawyer and legislator from the pro-Beijing party, the Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong, was also seen speaking on stage during the rally.
The “pro-police” group, led by Leticia Lee (middle), marching to Police Headquarters. Photo: 撐警大聯盟, via Facebook.
The group was later seen marching to the police headquarters in Wan Chai, where they shouted slogans including “Love Hong Kong, support our police force.”
At the same time, localist group Civic Passion staged a protest on the other side of Chater Garden, accusing the police force of abusing its power. Police separated both groups with barricades, but shouting matches erupted as protesters vented their emotions.
Civic Passion, led by localist figure Wong Yeung-tat, tore the flag of the Communist Party of China during the protests.
The police force has drawn criticism recently following a number of alleged abuse cases during last year’s Occupy protests. In July, a study by the Chinese University of Hong Kong revealed that local people’s trust in the police force has fallen to a “new low”.
During the pro-police demonstration, a protester allegedly damaged a reporter’s camera by “kissing” the lens, after he persistently filmed her.
The protester “kissing” the camera lens. Photo: SocREC 社會記錄頻道, via Facebook.
The journalist later reported the case to the police.
Ministers and police should not comment on politics, says former civil service minister
Former civil service minister Paul Tang Kwok-wai has said that ministers and police should refrain from commenting on politics. He also talked about his unexpected departure from the government two weeks ago, saying that “some things in life happen very quickly”.
In an RTHK programme on Sunday, Tang was asked to respond to anallegation that Hong Kong’s civil servants have not “developed a sense of belonging to mainland China”. Tang said that civil servants are required to maintain political neutrality in order to give objective and impartial advice to the government.
But civil servants — except for ministers, administrative officers, political assistants and information officers — are allowed to have opinions on politics as long as these do not pose a conflict of interest.
Tang admitted that he became concerned about how to draw a clear line between ensuring civil servants’ political neutrality and protecting their freedom of expression during last year’s pro-democracy Occupy protests.
The pro-establishment camp has accused Tang of not punishing civil servants who showed support for the Occupy demonstrations. Pictures circulated on the internet show that police also expressed their opinions about the protests with impunity.
A police commander displayed a blue ribbon symbolising support for police and objection to the Occupy protests last year. Photo: Post 852.
It is the first time Tang has spoken with journalists after Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying announced a cabinet reshuffle last month. On July 21, Leung said that Tang had stepped down due to “unforeseeable family circumstances”.
But citing “sources close to the government”, several pro-government newspapers said that Tang was fired because he had rejected the chief executive’s request to give civil servants substantial pay rises in an attempt to solicit their support, thereby giving the impression that Tang was not cooperative.
Reports also said that Tang had failed to forge good relationships with civil servants’ unions since his appointment in 2012. A representative for one such union said that the civil service suffered low morale under Tang’s leadership.
Former civil service minister Paul Tang. Photo: GovHK.
Tang, who had served the government for 37 years, said on Sunday that he had not expected to retire before the end of his term in 2017. He said his family agreed that it was time to go. “In life, some things happen very quickly. It was indeed a rush decision and I need to readjust my state of mind,” said the former minister.
Tang also said the government had made an exception to its usual policy in the last two years by expanding the civil service by 1.5 percent as opposed to the one percent norm. He warned that the government should not “blindly” expand its civil service, as it would increase the burden on public expenses.
He denied he was on bad terms with the chief executive, and commended incoming minister Clement Cheung Wan-ching for his abilities. He also urged Cheung to protect the core values of the civil service system.
The cabinet reshuffle last month has left many questions unanswered, including whether the personnel changes were related to Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying’s plan to prepare for reelection. People have also wondered why an undersecretary with close ties to the pro-Beijing DAB party was appointed to the post of home affairs minister controlling most district-level resources, and whether the apparently arbitrary and nontransparent reshuffle indicated a broken system of accountability.
Students who stormed HKU meeting should be imprisoned, says former university head
A former head of one of Hong Kong’s top universities has suggested that students who stormed a council meeting at the University of Hong Kong on Tuesday should be imprisoned.
Lawrence Lau Juen-yee, the former Vice-Chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, made the comments after dozens of students charged into a council meeting last week, where the governing body decided to uphold a decision to delay the appointment of a new pro-vice chancellor. Two people from the council – including Lau’s wife Ayesha Macpherson – were hospitalised as students flooded the room.
Lawrence Lau Juen-yee, a former vice-chancellor from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Photo: CUHK.
Johannes Chan Man-mun, former dean of the university’s law faculty, was reported to be unanimously recommended for the role of pro-vice chancellor. Students and HKU alumni have criticised the decision to delay his appointment as politically motivated because of Chan’s pro-democracy views.
In an article published in Ming Pao, Lau said: “Given their mob-like behaviour on Tuesday night, are these young people ready to take on responsibilities as adults? It makes people doubt whether they were educated and raised properly as adults? What about the motives of those ‘adults’ who use them?”
“Finally it raises another question regarding taxpayers’ money. Should we continue to fund these arrogant and self-centred ‘spoiled brats’, who have no respect and consideration for the freedom and rights of others?”
Lau then goes on to suggest that as punishment, the students who stormed the meeting should go to prison or do 100 hours of community service. He added that those who are firm in their beliefs should be willing to go to jail for their beliefs like Nelson Mandela and Tsang Tak-sing, the former Home Affairs Secretary who recently stepped down from his role after eight years in the job.
Tsang was arrested in 1967 and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for distributing anti-government and pro-Communist leaflets. He was convicted of distributing inflammatory material that promoted public order crime.
Stephen Chan Chi-wan, host of a morning Commercial Radio show,suggested the article was influenced by the fact that his wife was involved. Chan added that he did not see any “violent” or “mob-like” behaviour, and said that the “the public considers the decision by the HKU council absurd.”
Yuen Kwok-yung, a microbiologist who recently resigned from the university’s council, asked for the public “to be fairer” to the student’s actions. Yuen said that “those who swore, threw objects, and pushed did not look like students,” and added that some of those involved looked “much older and coarser than students.”
Students occupy HKU Council meeting. Photo: HKU Undergrad via Facebook.
Lau’s comments come after state media urged Chan to withdraw his nomination for the pro-vice-chancellor. A commentary published inPeople’s Daily described the scenes from last week as “violent” and dubbed the students who stormed the meeting as “radicals.”
The article said that the “radical” students were “lawless and out of their minds”, and claimed the students’ actions were a result of “brainwashing and instigation by the opposition party” and “the lack of legal deterrence in the conviction of similar cases”.
The decision to delay Chan’s appointment raised concerns about academic independence and institutional autonomy in Hong Kong’s universities. Students have previously held protests against the laws that stipulate that Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying is also the Chancellor of all universities in the territory.
The role gives him the power to nominate members of the governing boards of Hong Kong’s major universities. According to an article by legislator Ip Kin-yuen and Helena Wong Pik-wan, over 70 members have been appointed to various institutions since Leung Chun-ying took office, with almost 30 percent of those individuals being current or former members of China’s political consultative committee or its legislature.
State media calls for HKU scholar to withdraw following student protest
A state media commentary has demanded pro-democracy scholar Johannes Chan Man-mun to withdraw his own nomination to the post of pro-vice chancellor of the University of Hong Kong.
State media People’s Daily published a commentary on Monday on the deferral of Chan’s appointment to the post of pro-vice chancellor thatled to protests by students and alumni on Tuesday last week. The article said that for Chan “to withdraw his appointment is the best option in defending HKU and to maintain consensus among society.”
The article said that even if Chan was appointed to the post, conflicts would not cease. “The academic standing, international reputation, and the tradition of rational thinking that HKU has established over the past hundred years would be eroded [by Chan’s appointment].”
State media commentary on HKU. Photo: HKU/People Daily.
On Tuesday, dozens of students disrupted the meeting of the governing body of HKU in protest against their decision to uphold the deferral of pro-democracy scholar Chan’s appointment as pro-vice chancellor. The council stated that the reason was to “wait for the appointment of a new deputy vice-chancellor.”
Following the incident, two members of the council has resigned from their posts. Leftist newspapers and pro-establishment figures have strongly criticised the students, describing them as “red guards” and calling their actions “disgraceful.” A former head of Chinese University has called for the students to be imprisoned.
On Saturday last week, Chan said in an open letter published on RTHK that he has been using his legal knowledge to serve the public. He said, “This is our responsibility to the public [as intellectuals], and if people consider this as participating in politics or not being engaged in honest work, I’m afraid they might not know what being an intellectual means.”
Commenting on his nomination, Chan said, “If it were only an issue to do with my personal career, I would have withdrawn already … However, this crisis has become a challenge to universities’ persistence towards academic freedom and institutional autonomy. By withdrawing [Chan’s nomination to the post], it will only result in a chilling effect—it is equivalent to giving up on the insistence on academic freedom and institutional autonomy.”
Johannes Chan Man-mun. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
In the state media article, Chan’s pro-democracy political affiliation and his support for the Occupy protests were questioned. The writer demanded Chan to take responsibility regarding donations to HKU that were used to fund Occupy activities.
Chan was HKU’s former dean of law and is currently a member of the pro-democracy think-tank Hong Kong 2020, led by former chief secretary Anson Chan. He was also involved in an internal investigation regarding donations received by fellow HKU law professor and co-founder of the Occupy Central campaign Benny Tai Yiu-ting. No disciplinary actions were recommended against Chan or Tai following the investigation.
Chan also responded in his open letter that since June 2014 he has been on academic leave. During the Occupy protests, Chan said he was a visiting professor at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States.
The article also criticised pan-democrat legislators who it claimed “used all means to make the incident a political decision,” as well as people who had close contact with Chan who leaked internal documents. It added that the “opposition party who sued ‘safeguarding institution autonomy’ in name are in fact destroying institution autonomy,” and the issues with HKU today “originated from Occupy Central.”
Civic Party legislator and HKU alumnus Alan Leong Kah-kit has wrote in an op-ed that “there is no doubt that political interference is to blame” for the delay in appointment. Kevin Lau, former editor-in-chief of Ming Pao, has also suggested that officials of the Hong Kong government and the China Liaison Office were involved in the deferral.
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