The President of the Legislative Council, Tsang Yok-sing, has told the Eastern Court that police presence avoided more chaos inside the Legco complex during a protest in June last year.
He told the court that the Legco Commission allowed officers into the complex at around 3pm on June 13 as a standby measure.
Tsang, speaking in his capacity as the chairman of the Legco Commission, said it turned out to be a wise decision as without the police presence, things could have been a lot worse when the protests turned rowdy.
He said the council simply did not have enough manpower to manage any potential chaos, and that it was important for officers to be inside the building when things get out of hand.
Tsang was giving evidence as a defence witness in the trial of 12 protesters accused of charges related to the storming of the Legco complex last June.
They were unhappy with the government's controversial proposal to develop the Northeast New Territories, and wanted the Finance Committee to reject an initial funding application for the plan.
The HK$340 million request was eventually approved by lawmakers in late June.
He told the court that the Legco Commission allowed officers into the complex at around 3pm on June 13 as a standby measure.
Tsang, speaking in his capacity as the chairman of the Legco Commission, said it turned out to be a wise decision as without the police presence, things could have been a lot worse when the protests turned rowdy.
He said the council simply did not have enough manpower to manage any potential chaos, and that it was important for officers to be inside the building when things get out of hand.
Tsang was giving evidence as a defence witness in the trial of 12 protesters accused of charges related to the storming of the Legco complex last June.
They were unhappy with the government's controversial proposal to develop the Northeast New Territories, and wanted the Finance Committee to reject an initial funding application for the plan.
The HK$340 million request was eventually approved by lawmakers in late June.
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1213330-20150924.htm
