Hong Kong government issues boycott order for Democratic Party's anniversary dinner

The chill in the relationship between the government and the Democratic Party has entered a deep freeze, with the government banning all ministers - and even senior civil servants - from the party's 20th anniversary dinner.

It follows the party's call for the chief executive to step down.

The boycott order comes a month after Democrat lawmaker Albert Ho Chun-yan announced that he would resign his "super seat" in the Legislative Council, triggering a "de facto referendum" on political reform.

Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying and all political appointees plan to boycott the February 27 dinner. A government source said senior civil servants, such as department heads and permanent secretaries of bureaus, will be ordered not to attend.

Top Leung administration officials decided in a meeting earlier this week to boycott the dinner, sources said. They did so because of Ho's manoeuvre, and the Democrats' public demand that Leung resign.

"It is a fundraising dinner where the money raised would be used for the de facto referendum. There's no reason for the government, which opposes the plan, to join the event," said a person in the government familiar with the decision.

The person said the rule would apply to activities by other pan-democratic groups which also called for Leung to resign. But it would be up to civil servants who were Democrats to decide whether or not to attend.