POST OCCUPY CENTRAL - DAY 39 (23-01-2015)

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 39: 

Full coverage of the day’s events

Three Occupy co-founders interrogated by police for 'inciting' pro-democracy protests

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Occupy Central co-founders Dr Chan Kin-man, Benny Tai Yiu-ting and Reverend Chu Yiu-Ming are suspected of organising and inciting unlawful assemblies. Photo: Sam Tsang

The three co-founders of Occupy Central were interrogated by police this morning over their roles in the pro-democracy protests that left the city in a political deadlock and saw thousands of protesters blockade major streets for nearly three months.

At 10am, Benny Tai Yiu-ting, Chan Kin-man and the Reverend Chu Yiu-ming entered the police headquarters in Wan Chai, accompanied by a team of more than 10 lawyers led by by Robert Pang Yiu-hung SC.

Before going in, Tai said police had informed them over the phone that they were suspected of committing several offences including participating in, organising and inciting others to take part in unauthorised assemblies.

They were requested to go to the police station to assist the investigation.

“I cannot be sure whether they will formally charge us today,” Tai, a law professor, said. “Like all the others who have been arrested, it’s likely we will not be charged immediately.

“But it is the legal power [police] have, to invite people to give evidence. We have the right to remain silent.”

Dozens of supporters turned up outside the police station, some holding yellow umbrellas, a symbol of the Occupy protest. They chanted slogans: “I want true universal suffrage. We will fight to the end.”

Cardinal Joseph Zen Zi-kiun, who went with the three when they turned themselves in to police in December, came out to support them this morning. He said he had not received calls from police.

The three would refuse to be bound by police bail, Tai added, because he did not think police had a reason to lay down conditions to restrict their freedom before making a prosecution.

Tai, Chan and Chu joined mass sit-ins in different parts of the city which lasted for 79 days.

It was Tai who announced the start of the sit-in after some students stormed the government headquarters’ forecourt in late September. But the trio scaled back their presence in the middle of the protests.

Tai’s daughter Tonya also came out to support the men. She said she was not too worried as it was unlikely the arrest would take place today.

Tonya Tai, who is back from exchange studies in Australia, is known to protest supporters for writing a moving letter to her father and posting it online.