Intimidated voters urged to tell the police about it
The head of Hong Kong's election watchdog has urged people who feel they have been intimidated into voting for certain candidates in the Legislative Council election to report the matter to the police.
Justice Woo Kwok-hing, chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission, also said more stringent regulations were being considered for polling stations to prevent unfair practices during the election.
Mr Justice Woo made the remarks after meeting members of Power for Democracy, a pro-democracy action group which has expressed concerns about the fairness of the election.
There have been a series of allegations and reports that mainland officials have been exerting pressure on voters to back certain candidates.
There have also been reports that some employers have been pressuring workers to vote for certain parties.
In response to reports that voters have been told to take pictures of the choice they make on ballot papers by using the cameras built into mobile phones, Mr Justice Woo said the commission was considering restrictions on the use of handsets as well as other ways to ensure the secrecy of ballots.
Joseph Cheng Yu-shek, a City University political science professor who heads the Power for Democracy group, said the group was concerned about reports that voters were being pressured.
