Anger at police bill vented

Zachary Wong Wai-yin of the Democratic Party is to move an emergency motion debate, urging the Government to re-introduce a bill on the Independent Police Complaints Council as soon as possible.

The move came after Secretary for Security Peter Lai Hing-ling withdrew the Independent Police Complaints Council Bill at its third reading on Monday.

It followed the council's decision to provide it with powers of investigation.

Mr Wong, chairman of a committee which had spent six months studying the bill, condemned the move as a waste of members' efforts.

Yesterday, Legco President Andrew Wong Wang-fat allowed Mr Wong to table the motion by waiving the notice requirement.

His original plan was to table a motion criticising the Government for not respecting the decision of the Legislative Council.

But one source said the idea was dropped after it emerged that motion did not have the urgency to waive the notice requirement.

The debate, which calls on the Government to re-introduce a bill, will follow three other motion debates.