POST OCCUPY CENTRAL - DAY 62 (15-02-2015)

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 62: 

Full coverage of the day’s events

Ex-Bar chief hits out at failure to safeguard values



The government has not done enough to stand up for Hong Kong's core values, former Bar Association chairman Paul Shieh Wing-tai believes.

In a televised interview, barrister Shieh said: "Very often, the anger and frustration buried in Hongkongers' hearts are not the result of not having enough money or handouts, but because they feel that what they have stood for has not been respected, or has even been undermined."

Citing examples yesterday such as the State Council white paper issued in June and the deepening conflict between Hongkongers and their mainland counterparts, he continued: "Our government has, on many occasions, failed to help Hongkongers to defend what we have always been proud of, and has even allowed them to gradually trickle away."

Regarding disagreements over the behavior of mainland tourists, Shieh questioned why the government could not help ease tensions by introducing rules and manners practiced here.

"As one of the most civilized societies in China," Shieh said. "Shouldn't our SAR government stand up for its people to say [to mainlanders], `Look. We know you're here to shop, many of you came here to have fun, and we will try to extend our hospitality.

"`But very often, some of your behavior has really caused displeasure among Hongkongers.'

"Why can't our government introduce local rules and manners to them? We also hope to influence them with the rules observed in a civilized society through our own practice."

Shieh also criticized the government for not giving enough room to free debate to overthrow "fallacious theories," such as saying the Sino-British Joint Declaration has already expired.

He also said many people have been using the old ways of thinking to judge today's young people, believing they could be influenced by handing them money or holding forums.

"You want to know what young people think? Go to their online media platforms, you'll find out more than organizing forums.

"Whenever Hong Kong mentions its advantages, it is criticized for being [too proud]. But what about the case of some Hongkongers, whom for some reason, choose to bend their knees and beg ... To say, `Yes, we rely on our motherland now. Our motherland is the best. Why talk about the rule of law in Hong Kong? Ignore those people, they are useless teenagers who are jealous of you.'

"That's not the case. Hong Kong does have a lot of soft power."



Young people turned off by reform talk



Three in five young people say they will not express an opinion during the consultation on constitutional reform either because they do not trust the government or because they have become apathetic.

A total of 62 percent of 2,829 people aged between 10 and 29 interviewed by the Hong Kong Christian Service said they will not express their views in the exercise.

Of these, 55 percent attribute their silence to their distrust of the SAR government, which they believe will not accurately reflect their opinions, and about 40 percent said they have become apathetic toward the government.

Nearly 60 percent criticized the government's consultation work, with 80 percent giving it a rating of three on a scale of 10.

Only 34 percent had read the consultation documents while the remaining 66 percent said they did not read it because they believe the government is ignorant of public opinion and is only conducting a fake consultation as the central government has already made up its mind.

A social worker at the Christian Service, surnamed Lee, called on the government to engage with young people directly to understand their views.

"Actually the young people do want to talk, but is one-way communication the best method? Can the government become more flexible and use more methods for young people to express themselves?" Lee asked.

Separately, medical-sector lawmaker Leung Ka-lau told RTHK's Letter to Hong Kong that his team sent out 15,254 questionnaires to all registered doctors, dentists and interns between January 12 and 31, and received 3,066 replies.

He said nearly half (49.4 percent) ranked civic nomination as their first choice in conducting the chief executive election in 2017, over the existing methods (19.4 percent) and the National People's Congress' Standing Committee framework (31.2 percent).


But if civic nomination was excluded, 63.9 percent indicated that they would support the existing threshold of the Election Committee over the NPCSC framework (36.1 percent).