rthk.hk - Express NewsToday, 10:31
The Secretary for Security, Lai Tung-kwok, has said the unrest in Mong Kok on Monday night has not swayed the government’s position on national security legislation, with no plans to enact Article 23 of the Basic Law for the remainder of the current administration’s term.
Speaking after appearing on a radio programme on Saturday morning, Lai sidestepped questions about whether he agreed with Beijing’s assessment of the disturbances, namely that they were plotted by separatists. The term is frequently used to describe protesters in Tibet and Xinjiang.
“We have repeatedly stated in public what we feel about this case. The police has arrested more than 60 suspects … So the position of the Hong Kong SAR Government is clear; this is a violent case,” Lai told reporters.
Lai also rejected the idea that the trouble was related to enforcement action being taken against illegal hawkers.
Internet users were quick to dub the unrest the “Fishball Revolution”. But Lai said officials from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department were merely patrolling the Mong Kok area, not trying to clear hawkers from the streets.
More than 100 people were injured during Monday night's disturbances, the majority of them police officers. Around 40 people have since appeared in court charged with rioting.
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1241935-20160213.htm
