A handful of protesters will be allowed into so-called petition zones near stops by President Hu Jintao during his handover anniversary visit which begins today - a move one rally organiser dismissed as a 'public relations show'.
Assistant police commissioner Wong Chi-hung said the small fenced-in zones would allow five to 10 people to be closer to the president than the approved protest areas. In the zones, Hong Kong government officers will accept written messages for Hu.
Wong said the zones - a first for Hong Kong - represented an effort to improve procedures after widespread criticism of the police handling of protests during last year's visit by Vice-Premier Li Keqiang .
But it was unclear whether even the small groups of protesters shuffled through the zones would be within earshot of Hu. Police also said props, banners and other protest objects would not be allowed, leading Civil Human Rights Front organiser Andrew Shum Wai-nam to dismiss the zones. 'It's not feasible and it doesn't even allow props,' he said. 'We won't use the petition areas.'
Wong said a petition zone would be set up near the Grand Hyatt, where Hu was expected to stay during his visit. He leaves on Sunday. The locations of other petition zones, how far they are from the venues and whether Hu will actually walk by them, remain unknown. The border of the security zone around the Convention and Exhibition Centre, where a few major events will be held, was also not disclosed.
'The president will attend various functions,' Wong said. 'There will be protesters in the vicinity. I'm sure their voices would be heard.'