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 135:
Full coverage of the day’s events on 29-04
Drop veto plan on reforms Tung tells pan-democrats
Any aspirant who is not against the mainland will have a chance to become a candidate in the 2017 election, according to the SAR's first chief executive.
Tung Chee-hwa also called on the pan-democratic lawmakers who plan to veto the government's political reform proposal to turn away from the wrong path and to support the package.
Tung said he realized that some pan- democratic lawmakers fear they might be labeled "traitors" if they vote for the political reform. However, he asked them to put the interests of Hong Kong and voters' aspirations for universal suffrage ahead of their personal views.
He said pan-democrats should be broadminded and their interpretation that the reform proposal is not genuine universal suffrage is misleading.
Speaking for the first time after the government unveiled its proposal last Wednesday, Tung said he believes some pan-democrats will be able to get enough support from the 1,200-strong Nominating Committee to enter the initial stage of the 2017 chief executive election.
"I believe that there is still a chance for any person to become a candidate officially," said Tung, who is also vice chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the top advisory body. "What is important is whether the person has the capability, social standing and the trust of the people and experience.
"Most importantly, I believe that all people will see whether the person is against the mainland or not and insist on the principle of `one country, two systems."'
Tung called for rational pan- democrats to show courage to have an independent mind, to refuse to band together to vote down the proposal.
He said that if the package is not passed, it will affect Beijing's confidence in Hong Kong. Tung said the SAR will be the eventual loser if it is continuously embroiled in endless disputes on political reform and infighting.
Civic Party lawmaker Alan Leong Kah-kit said Tung's comments were misguided and misleading.
Tung, as a state leader, should know that Hongkongers are humbly asking for genuine universal suffrage, Leong said.
Democratic Party chairwoman Emily Lau Wai-hing said Tung should tell leaders in Beijing about the consequences of the government's political reform package being voted down.
Coconuts
挪威北部海中的羅弗敦群島。（Michael Haferkamp/維基百科）
