POST OCCUPY CENTRAL - DAY 46 (30-01-2015)

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 46: 

Full coverage of the day’s events

Tam warns 50pc rule unlikely to change



Constitutional affairs chief Raymond Tam Chi-yuen says the 50 percent support of Nominating Committee members, required by would-be chief executive candidates, will not be easily changed in 2022 or beyond.

Tam said the requirement set by Beijing in August aims to ensure that candidates will have overwhelming support from the Nominating Committee.

However, it may be possible for the composition of the committee and the nominating process to be changed in time for the 2022 election, he added.

"I believe that up to 2022 or even later, the threshold will not be easily amended.

"But there is room for improvement in the nomination procedures and composition of the Nominating Committee."

Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet- ngor said the 50 percent threshold is important for the election.

"We need to find a chief executive who can broadly represent different sectors in society," Lam said. "From this point of view, considering that the Nominating Committee is composed of 1,200 members from four sectors, the request that candidates obtain the support of different sectors is reasonable."

Labour Party chairman Lee Cheuk-yan said Tam's comments will make communications with the government more difficult.

Lee questioned the so-called "Let's talk" spirit.

"If, as Tam says, it will be difficult to amend the 50 percent threshold in 2022, it means that we will have to pocket the fake election forever. The government says let's talk but one by one they are shutting down the doors."

Meanwhile, consultants from the Our Hong Kong Foundation set up by former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa held a meeting yesterday morning.

A consultant, Democratic Party member Tik Chi-yuen, said it was agreed that if the political reform proposal is not passed, society will be further torn apart and Leung Chun-ying will find it more difficult to govern.

However, the party later said those views did not represent its stance.



Rally organizers told to hire marshals


Organizers of a pro-democracy rally on Sunday have been told they must hire 100 marshals, but that maintaining order is the duty of the police.

The ruling from the Appeal Board on Public Meetings and Processions followed a request from the Civil Human Rights Front against a police demand for marshals, and a pledge to ensure participants do not occupy roads.

The appeal board said it was reasonable for the police to make such a requirement but requested the wordings of the Letter of No Objection be amended to remove the responsibility of preventing protesters from occupying roads.

The police had earlier asked the front to hire 100 marshals to help maintain order during the rally, and to prevent protesters from occupying the roads or cutting into the protest from the Sogo area of Causeway Bay.

Front spokeswoman Daisy Chan Sin-ying said: "During the Occupy movement period, we had marshals to maintain order, but when they subdued suspects who were causing trouble, they were arrested by the police for suspected fighting in public.

"We believe we will continue the march even if we cannot meet the requirement."

Front member Johnson Yeung said it will be difficult to find so many marshals by Sunday. The march is from Victoria Park to Chater Garden in Central.


Meanwhile, the police welcomed the board's ruling, with senior superintendent Tan Wing- yuen saying officers will cooperate with the marshals.