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 22:
Full coverage of the day’s events
The government report supposedly reflecting Hongkongers' sentiments on Beijing's rulings on political reform has been dismissed by pan-democrats as "economical with the truth".
Political persecution or justice being seen to be done? This is what Hongkongers will be asking as the authorities start arresting chief instigators of the Occupy Central movement.
A former member of the police watchdog has raised questions about the enforcement of bail on suspects, saying non-essential use of the power may undermine personal freedom.
Three weeks after the clearance of the Occupy protests, the police are hunting the key figures involved. Dozens of pan-democrats are being told to report to police headquarters, where they are expected to be arrested.
Occupy Central leaders anticipate another round of mass pro-democracy protests to be triggered when Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor launches the latest consultation on political reform today, saying they expected it to produce a conservative final proposal.
Second reform consultation to begin today
Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor will announce the details of the second round of consultation over the political reform later this afternoon.
The government is set to publish the the consultation document on the "Method for Selecting the Chief Executive by Universal Suffrage" for consulting the public on the specific method for selecting the Chief Executive in 2017.
Pan-democrats reject sentiment report
The government on Tuesday submitted a "public sentiment" report to Beijing.
It was promised earlier by Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and covers the situation in Hong Kong between the end of August and the middle of last month when the Occupy campaign was underway.
The main report in English is 21 pages long with a table that details major events running to 190 pages.
It has recorded events triggered by the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) decision on August 31 last year when it outlined a framework for the election of the chief executive in 2017, up until December 15 which was the day when police cleared the last Occupy site in Causeway Bay.
The report detailed the use of tear gas by the police on demonstrators when they took part in what it called "illegal" protests as well as the Occupy movement.
It further stated that the government understood that constitutional development was extremely controversial, adding that it wished to discuss the issue with different sectors of the community in a "rational and pragmatic manner" so as to work out a proposal that will secure the support of two-thirds of the lawmakers in the Legislative Council.
Twenty-three pan-democratic lawmakers attacked the report describing it as a mere chronological account of events which provided no solution to the political stalemate in Hong Kong.
They insisted they will veto any election proposals that were based on the political reform framework set out by the NPCSC.
They said there was also an element of self-censorship as topics such as suspected foreign intervention mentioned by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying and alleged police brutality during the two-month period of civil disobedience have been omitted.
They called on Beijing not to accept the report.
The State Council said it has noticed the changes in Hong Kong's political situation recently.
Responding to the report, a spokesman for the Council's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said the central government understood the opinions of various sectors of Hong Kong society.
He said the political reform framework laid down by the NPCSC had already taken into account different opinions.
Alan Leong calls for speedy reform proposal
Civic Party leader, Alan Leong Kah-kit, says the government should table its political reform proposal right now, so pan-democrat lawmakers can veto it immediately and save everyone's time.
He was commenting on reports that the government will unveil new proposals on the electoral methods for the 2017 Chief Executive poll on Wednesday, as part of its second round of public consultation.
Speaking ahead of the Executive Council meeting, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said the government would use different ways to gather people's views and he hoped the public would use legal and rational means to reach a consensus on political reform.
Leung warning on further threats to social order
Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying yesterday warned the public against threatening the Central and Hong Kong governments.
Leung once again insisted that any attempt to introduce genuine universal suffrage in 2017 must be based on the framework laid down by Beijing on August 31.
Speaking before the Executive Council meeting, Leung said Hong Kong society had experienced the problem of social order during the Occupy Central movement and should now work together to find an agreement.
"The experience illustrated that any illegal or coercive action cannot make the mainland and Hong Kong governments to accept anything that was not in accordance with the Basic Law. Nor will violating the Basic Law make that action legal," he said.
"I believe the public will express their opinions in a legal, rational and peaceful way while obeying social order."
He hopes Hongkongers will be able to reach a consensus on political reform in a "rational and pragmatic manner."
Meanwhile, more key figures in the Umbrella Movement have been told to report to police, and also when charges are likely to be laid against them.
Horace Chin Wan-kan, also known as Wan Chin, an assistant professor at Lingnan University's Chinese department, said he has been told to report to police headquarters in Wan Chai on January 19 at 4.30pm.
He is suspected of inciting and organizing an unauthorized assembly.
Scholarism's Joshua Wong Chi- fung, Oscar Lai Man-lok and Agnes Chow Ting confirmed that they received phone calls from the police yesterday, and are to report to Wan Chai police station on January 16. They will be charged with inciting unauthorized assemblies.
Chow wrote on Facebook: "It was expected, but I am also only a normal person ... when I am arrested, I will be scared."
Media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying said he too got a call from the police, but he was in Taiwan at that time and had no idea what it was about. He said he will seek legal advice from his lawyer.
Chan Kin-man, one of the Occupy Central trio, told The Standard, they have not yet received any phone calls from the police.
A source said there is no timetable for the second phase of police arrests.
"The police will call them [first phase] this week and if they do not report back they will be directly arrested.
