Officers in Ken Tsang case to plead not guilty; Lawmakers to debate copyright bill; Elsie Tu dies at 102.
Photo: Chris Lusher
Gov’t & LegCo
Police officers charged in Ken Tsang case to plead not guilty, challenge authenticity of news footage
– The seven police officers charged of beating Civic Party member Ken Tsangduring Umbrella Movement denied all charges in District Court, challenging the authenticity of a TVB news footage used as evidence
– The judge ruled that the prosecution would need to prove that the footage had not been tampered with, but the cameraman who shot the video reportedly rejected offering assistance to the prosecution
– The actual trial was expected to commence next June
– Meanwhile, the Independent Police Complaints Council would receive an official response from the Police over the baton assault case (ch) in a week’s time
Lawmakers to debate ‘Internet Article 23’ – with little knowledge
– The debate on second reading of the copyright amendment bill will start later today, but lawmakers were found not knowing much about the details of the bill despite having clear stances, according to Apple Daily
– CY Leung, meanwhile, might not know much about it either as he uploaded avideo of him singing with Beyond member Wong Ka-keung, other senior government officials and BPA members, which could well violate the bill once it is passed
– Radical netizen group Keyboard Frontline is calling on people to stage a protest outside the LegCo Complex as lawmakers debate the bill, and will likely be joined by various post-Umbrella and student groups
Environmental Protection Department admits overlooking water tests when inspecting Central-Wan Chai Bypass construction works
– The Environmental Protection Department admitted that they did not test water samples near the Central-Wan Chai Bypass (ch) Causeway Bay section construction site during their previous inspections
– Ming Pao further reported that the main contractor of the section, China State Construction, was spotted dumping mud-like materials to the Victoria Harbour as early as late 2014 when construction works commenced
Government reveals plan to install 12 food trucks at 6 tourist spots
– Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Gregory So revealed a pilot scheme to allow 12 food trucks to operate at six tourist attractions
– Applications to run the business will start in the first quarter of next year, and a truck would cost an estimate of HKD600,000
– The idea was proposed by Financial Secretary John Tsang in his Budget announced in February
Politics (General)
Veteran politician Elsie Tu dies at 102
– Veteran Hong Kong politician Elsie Tu died yesterday morning at the age of 102 from pneumonia-related complications
– The Newcastle-born British citizen spent her life fighting for the poor in Hong Kong as a social activist, Urban Councillor and lawmaker (she lost both seats to Democratic Party co-founder Szeto Wah in 1995)
– Tu was among the first to receive the Grand Bauhinia Medal after the handover in 1997
– Tu became increasingly supportive of Beijing in her later years, supporting the legislation of the controversial Article 23 in 2002 and backing Regina Ip in the 2007 LegCo by-election
– CY Leung, Carrie Lam, Eddie Ng and Jasper Tsang all mourned the passing of Tu on the government’s online press release site
