Remarks were slip of the tongue, says ex-security chief
Former security chief Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee said yesterday she was 'really sorry' for a 'slip of the tongue' about the way Beijing police handled Hong Kong journalists covering Olympic ticketing chaos last week.
But despite Mrs Ip saying she supported press freedom, having 'learned my lessons' since pushing for the Article 23 security bill five years ago, her election rivals said voters should judge a candidate by words and deeds.
In a bid to calm rising concern over her stance on press freedom, Mrs Ip said after filing her nomination to run in the Hong Kong Island constituency in September's Legislative Council election that she was sorry for causing a misunderstanding.
'I am really sorry that my remarks gave rise to some misunderstanding,' she said. 'When I referred to the methods adopted by security forces, I wasn't really having mainland public security [officials] in mind. I was thinking what I have seen in the west, how the law enforcement people sometime used too much force.'
On Tuesday, Mrs Ip said 'neck-shoving' techniques were 'most effective in stopping troublemakers' without causing permanent injuries when asked whether rising tension in the run-up to the Olympics would lead to more heavy-handed control of journalists by mainland police.
She later clarified that she had not been referring to journalists as troublemakers and was not trying to justify the actions of mainland police.