Legislature's president says decision to call for protection a 'careful' one
CHRIS LAUchris.lau@scmp.com
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 24 September, 2015, 4:30am
UPDATED : Thursday, 24 September, 2015, 9:14am
Jasper Tsang Yok-sing yesterday took the witness stand at Eastern Court. Photo: David Wong
Legislative Council president Jasper Tsang Yok-sing yesterday took the witness stand at Eastern Court to be questioned on the constitutional powers he can wield in calling in police in situations where the security of the chamber is under threat.
He was summoned as a defence witness by lawyer Douglas Kwok Hin-king on behalf of 12 protesters accused of taking part in an unlawful assembly and forcibly entering the legislature on June 13 last year.
They were allegedly taking part in a demonstration against the government's plan to build new towns in the New Territories. Two protesters face a charge of obstructing a Legco officer.
Kwok asked Tsang to explain why police were called to the Legco complex that day. During the 1 and 1/2 hours he was on the stand, Tsang described Legco's decision to call police as always a "careful" one. Typically, he said, the general secretary of the Legco secretariat would inform him, the deputy chairman of the Legislative Council Commission and the deputy chairman of the House Committee before a decision to call police would be made.
He said the commission - a legal body tasked with managing Legco - would not summon police until they saw protesters yelling and the situation on the brink of chaos - what he called a level-two response. Police would not offer to lend a hand unless anybody was under threat, he said.
Protesters were allegedly taking part in a demonstration against the government's plan to build new towns in the New Territories on June 13, 2014. Photo: Felix WongTsang also revealed he met with Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, then police commissioner Andy Tsang Wai-hung and security chief Lai Tung-kwok the morning after the protests. They discussed how Legco could acquire help from police more effectively in view of the storming that day.
The protest zone in the following week was shifted from Legco's public entrance to a space off Tim Mei Avenue to give police more time to prepare, should things get out of hand, Tsang said.
Kwok, aware of his client being charged with forcible entry, also asked how Tsang defined public space at Legco.
Tsang conceded the building was open to the public but repeatedly stressed that a "simple registration" was required prior to admission. He added that visitors were allowed into places such as the library and lobby of the complex in Admiralty.
"Normally, visitors would make an appointment with Legco members before their visits. But they can also do a simple registration at the entrance and tell us where they would go," he said.
Tsang will continue with his testimony today.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1860904/police-called-brink-legco-chaos-legislative-council
