Update | Protests hit Carrie Lam's neighbourhood 'bus parade' to promote Hong Kong electoral reform
Wheels come off open-top parade as protesters shout down officials and clash with police
An open-top bus parade by officials seeking to drum up support for the government's political reform package ended in arrests and chaos yesterday as opponents made themselves heard along the route.
The bus trip marked the start of a massive publicity campaign intended to get the public behind the contentious plans for the 2017 chief executive poll before lawmakers vote on it. But their efforts received a blow earlier when the European Union said it supported Hongkongers in their wish to have a "genuine choice" of candidates in 2017.
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Thirty officials boarded the bus, including Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah and Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen Kwok-keung. They teamed up to peddle the blueprint for reform officially announced on Wednesday, which they hope will form the basis for the city electing its leader by universal suffrage for the first time. Based on a framework set by Beijing, the package limits the number of candidates to two or three, who will need majority support from a 1,200 strong nominating committee.
Pan-democrats say that amounts to political screening and fake democracy, and have vowed to deny the plan a two-thirds majority in the Legislative Council in June.
The bus made its first stop at Kennedy Town in the afternoon - but sped off seconds after arrival amid clashes between pro- and anti-government protesters and police. Three protesters were arrested on suspicion of wounding police officers and interrupting them in the course of their duties.