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 283
POST REFORM VOTE：DAY 98 (24-09-2015)
POST REFORM VOTE：DAY 98 (24-09-2015)
Full coverage of the day’s events
Gov’t receives 104 complaints after character in TVB drama says ‘insulting police’ is a crime
The Communications Authority has received 104 complaints after a fictional policewoman in a TVB drama said she could arrest another character for insulting police officers, Ming Pao reported.
It was in the pilot episode of the new drama series from TVB called “Captain of Destiny”, which began airing this Monday. In the scene the protagonist, a policewoman, asked another character, “Do you know I can arrest you for insulting a police officer?”
However, under the existing Hong Kong laws, the act of verbally abusing or insulting a public officer is not an offence unless it provokes a breach of peace.
Netizens blasted the inaccurate line of dialogue and posted about it on the Hong Kong Golden Forum. Many internet users then called for collective action, encouraging others to complain to the Communications Authority as well.
A spokesperson for the Communications Authority said that as of Tuesday 5 p.m., they received 104 complaints about the misleading line, most of whom objected to the inaccurate reflection of Hong Kong law.
Grace Chan Hoi-lam, the actress who plays the policewoman in the TV episode, told Ming Pao: “I know the issue might be a bit sensitive right now… the character said that because she was trying to stall for time.” Chan urged everyone to be understanding and said she hoped they will not overreact to the dialogue and will continue to support the show.
TVB Deputy Director Tsang Sing-ming told Ming Pao that the character was on duty at the time and she said the line to “protect the dignity of police officers”. He also said that he will take note of the backlash against it and notify the production unit.
In 2013, it was decided that police officers are sufficiently protected under the current laws in Hong Kong and that there is no need to enact further legislation to protect them from being insulted. However, there is an offence of “insult” and a more serious offence of insulting a public officer in execution of duty under the Penal Code of Macao.
Yellow umbrellas to return to Admiralty on first anniversary of pro-democracy protests
Yellow umbrellas, sit-ins and outdoor speeches are set to take place in Admiralty as local groups announced plans to commemorate the first anniversary of the pro-democracy Umbrella Movement.
In a joint press conference at the Legislative Council (LegCo) on Tuesday, political parties, student groups and other pro-democracy organisations said they will return to some of the most iconic sites from last year’s 79-day mass protests.
Photo: Lukas Messmer/HKFP.
Civil Human Rights Front said it will hold a minute of silence next to the government complex at 5:58pm on September 28, the exact time when police fired the first rounds of tear gas at protesters one year ago.
Participants will hold up yellow umbrellas and stand in silence on a outdoor staircase next to the famous “Lennon Wall,” once covered with thousands of post-it notes from Umbrella Movement supporters.
The “Lennon Wall” during the Umbrella Movement. Photo: Wikipedia Commons
Meanwhile, student activists plan to gather outside LegCo to discuss the territory’s political future.
“We would like to discuss the next direction of the democratic movement in Hong Kong,” Agnes Chow, a core member of student group Scholarism, told HKFP.
The talks will be jointly held by the Hong Kong Federation of Students and Scholarism, the two most prominent student organisations during the Umbrella Movement, on September 26 and 27, Chow said.
While groups present at the joint press conference stressed they will not initiate another illegal occupation, the radical People Power party has vowed to take over Gloucester Road in Causeway Bay, one of the three protest sites, on September 28.
In a video posted on Facebook, People Power’s Tam Tak-chi called on 1,000 supporters to join the occupation and stand on the road for 87 minutes to remember the 87 rounds of tear gas fired on protesters on September 28.
New police training guidelines may include ‘water drenching’ crowd control tactic
The police have included “water drenching” as a dispersal tactic in a fresh set of crowd-control guidelines, according to several frontline officers.
The police officers told Ming Pao that the new training instructions mentioned four different stages of increasing force which may be used in order to handle unlawful mass rallies. It said that, if suspected illegal activities were seen at protests, officers should first give warnings, then drench protesters with water, then use a pepper spray based solution with a jetpack, and finally escalate to batons.
The newspaper reported that the police have mostly completed their review on the handling of the pro-democracy Occupy protests last year. The apparent approval of “drenching” methods may be a temporary measure ahead of the purchase of police riot vehicles with water cannon.
Police drenching water at Lung Wo Road on 1 December 2014. Photo: Apple Daily.
A spokesperson for the police told Ming Pao that it is not in a position to disclose operational details, but it will arrange for enough officers to maintain public order according the situation at public events to ensure public safety.
The police emphasised that it respects the freedom of expression and assembly of citizens, but it will not tolerate violence or any actions against public order.
Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor Director Law Yuk-kai told the newspaper that the police should restrain from using force. He said that water drenching may hurt protesters, and he was concerned about the chaos and stampedes that may ensue. He said that police escalations may provoke a similar escalation from protesters, thus causing more violence.
Lung Wo Road occupied by protesters on 1 December 2014. Photo: Twitter/krislc.
On December 1 last year, police used a hose to spray water into the air to disperse protesters at the Admiralty Occupy site. The source of water was a nearby government building, according to the newspaper.
The police may need to use water from standpipes if drenching is used, as the Fire Department has strict restrictions on using fire hose reels, which state that they should only be used to put out fires and save lives.
The newspaper also reported that the police will refrain from using tear gas due to the negative public reaction. Officers have also been instructed to use batons only to target limbs, not heads.
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