Hong Kong chief executive urges people not to wave colonial flag
Chief executive says there is no need for people to take such action to vent their frustration
People unhappy with the government don't need to wave the British flag to express discontent, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said yesterday.
His appeal, echoed by some Beijing-loyalist lawmakers, follows heated comments associating the waving of the flag with demands for independence.
Leung, in his second question-and-answer session in the Legislative Council, said the handover in 1997 was "a matter of fact" and "the regional flag of Hong Kong features a bauhinia flower". He added: "It is understandable that the population of seven million in Hong Kong share different opinions on the government. But in any case they do not need to wave the colonial flag to vent their frustrations."
During a stormy session, "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung, chairman of the League of Social Democrats, was ejected from the chamber after throwing plastic faeces at Leung to protest at what he said was a lack of integrity among senior officials.
Leung declined to comment on remarks by former secretary for justice Elsie Leung Oi-sie, a vice-chairwoman of the Basic Law Committee, about the city's judiciary. Last month she said the legal profession lacked understanding of the relationship between Hong Kong and Beijing.
Leung said he was working on problems of integration with the mainland. Competition for land, housing and infant milk formula had strained relations.