POST OCCUPY CENTRAL - DAY 30 (14-01-2015)

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.

Occupy Central site in Causeway Bay was cleared as police moved in  ...

POST OCCUPY CENTRAL - DAY 30: 

Full coverage of the day’s events

CY Leung repeats claim of ‘external forces’ influencing Occupy - but provides no evidence

Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying has again claimed to have significant information indicating that foreign powers were behind the organisation of the Occupy Central movement.

‘It’s better than nothing’: British Foreign Office backs Beijing’s reform framework for Hong Kong

Britain’s Foreign Office believes China’s election reform framework for Hong Kong does offer a “genuine choice” in the city’s next chief executive election.

Officials hint at what's in British government report on Hong Kong pro-democracy protests

Britain's upcoming half-yearly report on Hong Kong will say the city's governing principle of "one country, two systems" has been "put to the test" and come "under strain" during the Occupy Central protests.

CY mocked in graffiti daubed on ICAC office 



The wall and a logo outside the Sha Tin office of the Independent Commission Against Corruption has been vandalized with graffiti mocking Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying.

A security guard reported to the police that he came across the damage early yesterday.

On the wall, Leung's face had been sprayed with red paint and with the words "Anti-Communist Party" written below it.

Police officers took pictures of the graffiti before workers were called in to remove the paint.

The case has been classified as criminal damage but so far there have been no arrests.

An ICAC spokesman said the agency was told by the management office of the building that the incident has been reported to the police for further investigation.

Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong lawmaker Ip Kwok-him said he hopes the police can resolve the case as early as possible.

"Although people have the right to express their opinions against the government, they should not resort to such illegal means," Ip said.

"Since the ICAC is a graftbusting agency such acts appear to challenge its authority."

In a separate incident, police are looking for two men after they were seen splashing blue paint on shop that sells paper offerings in Yau Ma Tei.

CCTV footage shows the pair, who were wearing black shirts, attacking the shop on Reclamation Street shortly after 1am.

Police said the owner has not been threatened or blackmailed recently, adding that the paint- splashing is similar to the tactics often used by debt collectors.