Lawmaker to make a second bid to table motion next Monday

The trend toward organized, radical demonstrations is escalating in terms of the numbers and the degree of violence, Lau Kong-wah, lawmaker and vice-chairman of Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, said on Wednesday.

If the trend is not checked, he told China Daily, he is afraid that similar disturbances will continue and there will be no peace in Hong Kong.

Lau said he plans to proceed with a motion to the Legislative Council (LegCo) Panel on Security next Monday to condemn the violent acts and forceful entry of protesters who disrupted a forum on Sept 1.

At the meeting at the Science Museum, four members of the museum staff were injured in a wild melee.

While Lau's motion specifically refers to the incident, it is intended broadly to refer to the escalation of disruptive actions across the SAR. Individuals and political organizations are not named, according to Lau.

Earlier, James To, the panel chairman, had declined to accept the motion, saying it had no bearing on the meeting agenda.

To said he would treat the matter as an item under Any Other Business.

Lau voiced regret over To's decision, and urged the panel chairman to incorporate the motion as an urgent item.

"The intrusion into the forum has generated serious backlash from society, with many citizens condemning the ugly, violent behavior. It must be dealt with quickly or similar disturbances will happen again," he said.

"As only five minutes are reserved for Any Other Business, we cannot discuss this in five minutes. I will also demand this be included as an additional agenda item at the start of the meeting. (To) as panel chairman should not decide on his own but should consult other panel members," Lau told China Daily.

"The intrusion into the forum on Sept 1 was obviously pre-planned and well-organized. That's why some of them wore face masks and gloves," he said.

"It may be difficult for police to identify them but I trust police can find them."

Lau noted the petitioners threw objects such as paper planes and dog food at government officials as they arrived at the forum on Sept 1 and on previous occasions.

"Insulting behavior apart, such acts amount to an offense if the objects hit the officials, whether or not they feel pain or are injured by the objects," he commented.

Lau also said the acts of the petitioners were nothing short of intimidation of other citizens.

"They only want others to listen to their opinions, without giving a chance for others to express their views," he said.

Meanwhile, members of the LegCo and the public continued to condemn the rowdy mobs, of whom League of Social Democrats lawmaker Leung Kwok-hung was seen as a leader.

Leung went on the offensive at a news conference on Wednesday, trying to defend his part in the melee. He said the "social democrats" were not the orchestrators of the incident, arguing he was also punched at the scene.

The claim was immediately refuted by legislator Wong Kwok-kin.

"It is ridiculous to cloak their rough conduct and try to shift public attention by saying that he was punched. It was him who led the protesters storming into the hall that caused the chaos," said Wong.

He said that barging into the forum was unnecessary even if the protesters disagreed with the proposed reform, and that they could express their opinions via letters to the government, or via press coverage.

He added that Leung, as a legislator, could also question the arrangements for the consultation forum in the LegCo.

Tung Wai-ming, of the New Territories Association of Societies, who attended a consultation forum in Sha Tin on Aug 23, said different opinions, both supporting and opposing the proposed reform, were expressed and heard in a peaceful manner.

Andrea Deng contributed to this story.

joseph@chinadailyhk.com

China Daily

(HK Edition 09/08/2011 page1)