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'Out of touch' security chief enrages legislators

Tuesday's public protest against Article 23 will be joined by some who do not oppose the laws but simply want something to do on their day off, security chief Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee claimed yesterday.

Pro-democracy legislators rounded on Mrs Ip's comments last night, saying they showed how 'out of touch' she was with the public.

The secretary for security also ruled out any further amendments to the national security laws, adding that she believed the July 1 demonstration should not be described as a general protest against the government.

She further enraged critics by stating that the government would not regard a large turnout as pressure on the administration. Organisers of the rally expect at least 100,000 people to take part.

Many will join the protest for different reasons, Mrs Ip said, adding that they might not necessarily be against the Article 23 legislation.

'We cannot rule out the possibility that many citizens will join the march because of widespread promotion and mobilisation these days ... we also cannot rule out the possibility that some citizens may join it as a kind of activity because it's a holiday,' she said.

'That's why we should not think that many people taking to the street will necessarily mean that they are against Article 23.'

Mrs Ip said the government had tabled 51 amendments to the proposed laws  in the past three months  and had responded to concerns expressed by different sectors, including the legal profession.

'We believe that we have already tried our best to make amendments and deal with all the reasonable doubts. The government will not table further amendments.'

She also dismissed suggestions that her attitude and language were too provocative, which may have induced more people to take to the street on July 1. She urged people to be fair in making a judgment.

There has been widespread criticism after she accused Democrat James To Kun-sun of being 'too emotional' and 'impolite'.

Mrs Ip's comments yesterday coincided with the midnight deadline for the acceptance of any further amendments from both the government and lawmakers. The bill  will be put to a vote on July 9.

By yesterday, more than 100 amendments to the bill had been tabled by legislators from the Democratic Party, The Frontier, independent legislator Audrey Eu Yuet-mee and legal sector representative Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee.

The amendments included the deletion of clauses which they deem as a curb on civil liberties,  and sought safeguards on other offences, such as introducing 'public interest' as a defence against disclosure of official secrets to ensure freedom of the press.

But pro-democracy legislators said they were not confident of any of the amendments  being adopted. They  accused the government of turning a blind eye to the public's demands, as reflected by Mrs Ip's comments on the July 1 march.

Democratic Party chairman Yeung Sum, who is  carrying out a 100-hour hunger strike in protest against the Article 23 legislation, criticised Mrs Ip for being out of touch because most Hong Kong people were against the draft bill.

'It is expected to be the largest peaceful march since the June 4 [pro-democracy movement in 1989]. I hope the government will heed the warning bell,' he said.

While urging the government to stop acting like 'an ostrich burying its head in the sand', Ms Eu said the government had failed to respond to fears of the public. 'The government is beyond hope,' she said.

However, both the Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong and the Liberal Party said they would not table further amendments because they believed the  bill now struck a balance between safeguarding security and maintaining people's freedom.

After attending a special Executive Council meeting discussing the bill, Liberal Party chairman James Tien Pei-chun, who is also an Exco member, said the party supported the bill, as most of the contentious clauses had already been deleted.



Rally just a day out for many, says Regina Ip