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 284
POST REFORM VOTE：DAY 99 (25-09-2015)
POST REFORM VOTE：DAY 99 (25-09-2015)
Full coverage of the day’s events
Coconuts HKFrontline
Police to deploy up to 4,000 officers for Umbrella Movement anniversary
Police are expected to mobilise 1,800 officers to closely watch various protests scheduled for the upcoming three days as Hong Kong marks the first anniversary of the pro-democracy Umbrella Movement. If the number of protesters turns out to be particularly large, or should any violence occur, as many as 4,000 police officers could be deployed to maintain order, Oriental Daily reported.
Police and protesters face off during the Umbrella Movement. Photo: HKFP.
Police on Thursday issued no objection letters to various groups for public assemblies this weekend as well as on Monday September 28, which is both a public holiday to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival and the one-year anniversary of the Umbrella Movement.
Photo: HKFP.
According to the police website, activities commemorating and condemning the 79-day mass protests are set to take place, some on the same day.
On Monday, pro-democracy political parties and student groups will gather outside the government headquarters in Tamar, Admiralty, with speeches and a moment of silence expected.
Photo: HKFP.
Meanwhile, the pro-government Defend Hong Kong Campaign will march in Causeway Bay to condemn the University of Hong Kong for “letting the instigators of Occupy Central get away.”
One of the key individuals often seen as an initiator of the campaign is Benny Tai Yiu-ting, an associate professor of law at the University of Hong Kong. Occupy Central was a sit-in campaign organised by him in the initial stages, before the movement developed into the mass protests that paralysed key areas of the city for 79 days.
Overseas judges at Court of Final Appeal should be permanent arrangement, former Chief Justice says
Former Chief Justice Andrew Li Kwok-nang has defended the need for overseas judges in the Court of Final Appeal (CFA) in an op-ed penned for Ming Pao. It goes against mainland Chinese legal scholars who have suggested otherwise.
In addition to four main Hong Kong judges, Li wrote that it was a CFA tradition to also have veteran overseas judges from New Zealand, Australia or Britain which, he said, should be a permanent arrangement. The CFA can also have a fifth local judge, but this position has been held by an overseas judge since 1997.
“A mainland scholar recently said all judges of the CFA should be Chinese nationals who have right of abode in Hong Kong, while another scholar has commented that overseas judges should be seen as a transitional arrangement during the 50 years [of ‘one country, two systems’],” Li wrote.
“Although I understand these arguments, I can hardly agree,” he added.
File Photo: Former Chief Justice Andrew Li Kwok-nang. Photo: Apple Daily.
Li said that “the arrangement of overseas judges sitting in the CFA should not be seen as a violation to China’s sovereignty and Hong Kong’s autonomy.”
He said that overseas judges also have to take the same judicial oath to “uphold the Basic Law and bear allegiance to the HKSAR of the People’s Republic of China.”
“An overseas judge enjoys the same status as other judges, he will not receive special treatments. The five judges make judgement independently,” he wrote.
The CFA’s new home in the former Legislative Council building. Photo: Wikicommons.
“Appointing overseas judges is in the best interest of Hong Kong as a part of China under ‘one country, two systems’.”
He concluded by saying that through the assistance of overseas judges, the court’s horizons have expanded, particularly in regards to Comparative law. As a result of this international insight, the court has benefited from better judgement and earned the trust of Hong Kong people, strengthening their confidence in judicial independence.
In April, top mainland law scholar Rao Geping commented that overseas judges did not understand the Basic Law, and that after the 50 year period of ‘one country, two systems’ set by the mini constitution, they should consider changing the arrangement.
Andrew Li was the Chief Justice of the CFA from 1997 to 2010.
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