Police allowed to enter LegCo Complex; Identities of ‘localist’ bomb suspects in doubt; Ottawa urged to state support for HK democratic aspirations. Photo Credit: Chris Lusher
About 300 police officers stationed inside LegCo Complex ahead of political reform debate.
– The LegCo Commission, headed by president Jasper Tsang, announced the decision to allow the Police to enter the LegCo Complex after considering a risk assessment by the Police indicating a likelihood of the Complex being stormed by radical groups
– The Secretariat has also issued the Amber Alert at midnight
– Pan-dem lawmakers blasted Tsang for setting a bad precedent as radical groupsconfirmed that there was no plan to storm the Complex as long as the chance of passing the bill remains slim
– Director of Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office Wang Guangya stressed that “Pocket it First” does not mean “Pocket it Forever” but the 8.31 decision would not be amended for now
– The Commissioner’s Office of MFA also called on lawmakers to endorse the reform package or else the city’s future development would be hindered
– The calls were echoed by CY Leung, who also emphasised that no illegal activities would be tolerated when commenting on the explosive case
Public Works Subcommittee approve nine items including projects in West Kowloon Cultural District and KTD.
– The LegCo’s Public Works Subcommittee endorsed nine items in yesterday’s meeting
– Two items concerned (ch) the West Kowloon Cultural District while two others concerned the Kai Tak Development project
Politics (general)
– The identities of the nine suspects arrested, with six now holding charged, in explosive plot has sparked controversies as Netizens launched a wave of online investigation into claims that at least one suspect was from a radical ‘localist’ group called ‘National Independent Party’
– The controversies focused on slogans found alongside the explosives, of which some of the wordings were argued to be rarely used by localists
– Rumours also suggested that the pro-est One Country Two Systems Research Institute was involved in the case but the claim was later dismissed
Oriental Daily: Hospital Authority’s PPP pilot scheme in question.
– The effectiveness of the Hospital Authority’s private-public partnership pilot scheme in Wong Tai Sin, Tuen Mun and Kwun Tong districts was in doubt (ch) as less than 30% of doctors and 10% of patients joint the scheme
– Former president of the Hong Kong Medication Association Choi Kin slammed the scheme as wanting private clinics and hospitals to “provide voluntary services for a show”
Oriental Daily: Part of HKD2.2b “Super Cycling Track” abandoned due to bad planning.
– The Government’s HKD2.2b plan to set up a “super cycling track” connecting East and West Kowloon was under fire as many sections were only completed after years of delay while the last section between Tuen Mun and Tsuen Wan was abandoned (ch) owing to technical and budget considerations
– Other five side tracks out of six were also put on hold owing to various reasons
China & World
Canadian parliamentary committee urges Ottawa to state support for Hong Kong democratic aspirations.
– The Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development released a report addressing “concerns…about the implications of that proposed framework for Hong Kong’s democratic future, and in particular the concern that it would not result in a real choice for Hong Kong people”
– The committee also urged Ottawa to “state its support for the democratic aspirations of Hong Kong people, including the need for genuine universal suffrage in the election of their political leaders”
Reuters: Hong Kong-Shenzhen stock market link likely to delay.
– Sources said that the Hong Kong-Shenzhen stock market link, which was expected to be announced in the first half of the year and launched in the late 2015, was on hold due to “technical issues”
– The mainland authorities were yet to comment on the report
