Government: Public assemblies in HK must respect rule of law
The Hong Kong government expressed regret on Monday night that a public procession resulted in scuffles and damage to property — noting this was caused by people refusing to end the assembly some hours after its approved time.
In a statement issued on Monday night, a spokesman said the government fully respected the rights of Hong Kong people to participate in such processions and to enjoy freedom of expression. But such freedoms were not without limits, the spokesman emphasized.
These comments come after the public procession began earlier on Monday organized by members of the opposition camp — who had questioned issues closely related to the implementation of the “one country, two systems” principle.
But the government spokesman said people involved in the procession should have abided by the law and also by rules set out for people using public areas in Hong Kong. They should always refrain from posing dangers to themselves or other people, the spokesman stressed.
The government recently approved the reopening of the East Wing Forecourt of the Hong Kong SAR Government headquarters complex in Tamar for public meetings.
The procession on Monday afternoon had received approval to end at 6:30 pm. But hours after the approved time, some participants remained at the East Wing Forecourt of the government offices’ complex.
Defying repeated warnings from police officers and security guards, they then engaged in scuffles and caused damage to government property.
Because the opening hours for public meetings at the East Wing Forecourt had ended, the spokesman said they should have left as soon as possible.
In an earlier statement on Monday, the Hong Kong government clarified constitutional misconceptions about “one country, two systems” made by participants of the procession.
“One country, two systems” is the best arrangement for maintaining long-term prosperity and stability of the city. It is a holistic concept with “one country” as the premise. People in Hong Kong should not resist “one country”, or put “one country” and “two systems” on opposing sides, the statement said.
It said people needed to broaden their understanding of the Constitution and the Basic Law to accurately comprehend the relationship between “one country” and “two systems”. This is to ensure it progresses in the right direction, the statement noted.
Discussing the joint crossboundary checkpoint arrangement for the Hong Kong section of the GuangzhouShenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, the government spokesman said this arrangement had a very sound legal basis. He appealed to stakeholders in the community to consider this arrangement objectively, pragmatically and comprehensively.
The spokesman also addressed criticism by participants in the procession of the recent amendments to the procedural rules in the Legislative Council. He said it was within the LegCo’s authority to make such amendments in accordance with the Basic Law.