Is there no end to officialdom's ability to shoot itself in the foot? For without doubt the decision to arrest five student protesters after such a long delay and prior to a politically sensitive time is another error of judgment that could backfire on Hong Kong.
True, people who wish to demonstrate must comply with the law by applying for a permit beforehand. No one is above the law and the police are entitled to act against anyone who they believe has breached the law. But there are always degrees of criminality.
Whatever the legal justification, a decision to prosecute the students - if it is taken - is likely to be unpopular and to damage Hong Kong's international image.
The arrests have been made under a law that was condemned by the vice-chairman of the United Nations Human Rights Committee when he visited the SAR last month. During his stay Justice Prasullachandra Natwarlal Bhagwati said the Public Order Ordinance should be brought into line with the spirit of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights. He said the rule requiring police permission seven days before a protest was too harsh.
Unsurprisingly, the Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor is preparing to act on that statement, and it plans to raise the matter of the student arrests with the UN.
The last time the SAR came to UN notice over a question of law was after the damaging decision not to prosecute media tycoon Sally Aw Sian in the Sing Tao fraud case.
