Administration repeats warning to refer LegCo incidents to police

Chief Secretary for Administration Henry Tang has warned a culture of hostility, tending to violence and spawned by the ill behavior of some legislators, is spreading into the community.

Tang spoke out in response to an incident Tuesday, during which Chief Executive Donald Tsang was attacked and suffered an injury to his chest, requiring treatment.

Tang cautioned that the disruptive behavior of some legislators was setting a bad example for the young people in the city.

Tang strongly condemned violence in any form as he met media representatives Wednesday.

There has been an increasing trend toward verbal and physical violence in the Legislative Council (LegCo) over a period of time, Tang indicated.

"Unfortunately, this culture of violence has been gradually spreading from inside the council to outside," he said. "And what really concerns us is this will have extremely bad influence on the young people, the next generation."

The LegCo held an emergency meeting on the incident, calling for strong condemnation of the incident.

Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee said Hong Kong is a free and peaceful society, expressing the belief that the majority of citizens will find the conduct of the demonstrators unacceptable.

He re-issued an earlier warning that if the LegCo fails to take appropriate action to control incidents involving lawmakers throwing objects at government officials during meetings, the government may file complaints with police.

He called on concerted efforts of society and the LegCo to correct such bad trend.

Lawmaker Wong Kwok-hing, from the Hong Kong Federation of Trade unions, strongly condemned such violent behavior that he said sets a very bad example for the younger generation.

In his speech Wednesday, Tang also noted that policies can always be improved and the government can respond better to the community.

But he rejected physical confrontation and violence as suitable means of expression.

He stressed Hong Kong recognizes rational and peaceful expressions of opinion.

Several members of the League of Social Democrats had staged a protest Tuesday to express dissatisfaction with the budget brought down on Feb 23.

The demonstration took place as the chief executive attended the opening ceremony of an exhibition marking the centenary of the 1911 Revolution.

The League of Social Democrats lost control over the demonstrators and the situation quickly disintegrated into chaos.

Protesters suddenly charged the chief executive at the entrance to the museum. A shriek arose from amid the disorder. Tsang was later seen holding his arms and mid section. He appeared to be in pain. A statement issued by the government later confirmed one of the protesters "used his body to push the chief executive".

The chief executive required a short rest following the incident. The opening ceremony was delayed by half an hour.

Another round of protest erupted as Tsang delivered his opening address. A young man rushed at Tsang, making his way onto the stage before security guards fell on him and wrestled him off the platform.

The decorations for the event were damaged. The planned ribbon cutting was cancelled.

Tsang went to hospital at around 10 pm, complaining of a dull pain in his chest.

A doctor found redness and swelling on the left side of his chest. The doctor said if the chief executive had been struck on the sternum, his injuries could have been more serious.

Police arrested a 25-year-old man following the incident at the museum, accusing him of common assault. The man has been released on bail. Police say they will enhance protection of the chief executive as a result of Tuesday's incident.

Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council expressed grave concern over the matter Wednesday.

"The chief executive of the SAR, who was elected in Hong Kong according to the Basic Law and appointed by the Central Government, should be respected. Effective protection of his personal safety must be ensured. Such violence ought to be punished according to law," said a spokesperson of the office Wednesday.

Joseph Li contributed to the story.

China Daily

(HK Edition 03/03/2011 page1)