Police probe phone snatch in legislature
The police have started investigating Democratic Party lawmaker Ted Hui Chi-fung’s actions after he snatched a government officer’s personal cellphone in the Legislative Council building.
Several police officers searched for evidence and checked closed-circuit television in the LegCo Complex.
The city’s No 2 official, Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, said the government “severely condemned” Hui’s behavior; such conduct was “rude” and “absolutely unacceptable”.
He said the rights of government officers needed to be fully protected while they performed duties in LegCo or other relevant places.
The chief secretary for administration said the woman officer was “quite shocked” and emotionally disturbed.
Secretary for Security John Lee Ka-chiu said he was “very upset” about the incident. He couldn’t tolerate a civil servant suffering such rude behavior when she was dutifully doing her job in a city with the rule of law.
LegCo President Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen said the legislature would deal seriously with the incident and cooperate fully with police.
The LegCo Commission, an administrative body independent of the government and chaired by LegCo president, will hold a special meeting today (Thursday) on the issue.
During a LegCo meeting break on Tuesday, Hui allegedly snatched the Security Bureau officer’s cellphone while she was taking notes on legislators’ attendance and their whereabouts in the LegCo Complex. Hui then went into the men’s room for a time to check content on the phone before returning it about 10 minutes later.
Hui subsequently apologized on Wednesday. He said he suspected the officer violated the privacy ordinance by collecting personal information on lawmakers. Hui acknowledged his own behavior was wrong regardless of his motives.
Responding to Hui’s accusation, Cheung said the LegCo Secretariat and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data had both confirmed the officer’s deeds did not contravene relevant ordinances because the LegCo building is a public place. Taking notes was done to marshal lawmakers back to the meeting room to avoid an adjournment; all information would be erased straight after the meeting.
Some lawmakers also strongly condemned Hui’s actions.
New People’s Party Chairwoman Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, who chaired Tuesday’s meeting, said the incident was “very serious” and could constitute common assault. The crime could be liable to imprisonment for one year.
Legislator and Barrister Priscilla Leung Mei-fun agreed with Ip. Leung noted Hui’s act was intentional and had violated the law no matter what his motivation was. She said cellphones were people’s personal property; Hui’s actions had infringed other people’s privacy.