Hong Kong lawmakers impose additional limits on demonstrators at Legco protest zone
Lawmakers ban overnight stays, fires and tents in protest zone and limit numbers next week as chief executive presents his policy address
More restrictions will be imposed on demonstrators to prevent the protest zone outside the Legislative Council being reoccupied once it reopens tomorrow.
The new measures include prohibiting protesters from starting fires, bringing tents and sleeping bags and staying in the protest zone, which was at the heart of the Occupy Central blockade in Admiralty, and the square next to it between 11pm and 7am.
Lawmakers also decided yesterday to limit the number of protesters to 850 next Wednesday and Thursday, when Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying presents his policy address and then attends a Legco question-andanswer session.
"The new measures are necessary to ensure, after the reopening of the public protest area and the Legco square, the safety and the reasonable use of [Legco] facilities," said council president Jasper Tsang Yok-sing.
"Not only is it to prevent protesters from camping overnight, there is also a chance that protesters would keep dangerous goods in the camp," he said, adding that similar measures had been taken by legislatures in other "civilised and democratic countries".
The new measures will remain provisional until the Legco commission consults all lawmakers and meets again next Tuesday.
Pan-democrat protesters said the new measures would limit freedom of expression, but Tsang said other protesters with different views had been deprived of their right to use the area during the Occupy movement.