Tsang Yok-sing
The Legislative Council's president, Tsang Yok-sing, rejected on Monday most of the amendments put forward by a radical lawmaker to the government's controversial Copyright Amendment Bill.
Lawmaker Wong Yuk-man had tabled a total of 903 amendments in a bid to hold up the debate due to begin on Wednesday. But only 42, or less than five percent, of his total were approved.
Tsang explained over 700 of them were tedious and trivial and some others were also irrelevant.
“Considering the volume of these large number of [committee stage amendments], if I allow them it will mean the council and the committee will spend most of their time going through these textual amendments, rather than scrutinising the substantive content of the bill,” the Legco president said.
Tsang said, however, there was still room for members to filibuster during the deliberation, adding that he expected the debate would last until at least next week.
Meanwhile, the ten out of 12 amendments put forward by DAB legislator Chan Kam-lam on behalf of the bill committee were approved.
A mass protest by internet users is also planned outside Legco during the debate. Over 230,000 people have signed up to an online petition demanding changes to the bill.
Lawmaker Wong Yuk-man had tabled a total of 903 amendments in a bid to hold up the debate due to begin on Wednesday. But only 42, or less than five percent, of his total were approved.
Tsang explained over 700 of them were tedious and trivial and some others were also irrelevant.
“Considering the volume of these large number of [committee stage amendments], if I allow them it will mean the council and the committee will spend most of their time going through these textual amendments, rather than scrutinising the substantive content of the bill,” the Legco president said.
Tsang said, however, there was still room for members to filibuster during the deliberation, adding that he expected the debate would last until at least next week.
Meanwhile, the ten out of 12 amendments put forward by DAB legislator Chan Kam-lam on behalf of the bill committee were approved.
A mass protest by internet users is also planned outside Legco during the debate. Over 230,000 people have signed up to an online petition demanding changes to the bill.
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1228102-20151207.htm
