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Ambrose Leung

Lawmaker Emily Lau denies her group will be swallowed
The Democratic Party and The Frontier political grouping, which together have nine lawmakers, are poised to merge after lengthy negotiations.
Veteran leaders from both sides are optimistic about the plan, pending final approval from members of the two groups, both established in the 1990s.
Confirmation of the merger and further details are expected to be  announced tomorrow.
The move comes amid broader efforts by the Democratic Party to unite pan-democrat forces in the push for democratic development.
Frontier founder and veteran legislator Emily Lau Wai-hing   denied that her group was being swallowed by the Democratic Party, saying she felt optimistic about the talks.
'I look at this from a positive angle. It's not about who is eating who ... I can't see who has the ability to eat me up,' she joked. 'The most important thing is that as a united force we can better push forward democratic development.'
Democratic Party chairman  Albert Ho Chun-yan  also said it was not a case of who was eating whom.
'We all have the same principles and beliefs,' he said, adding that it was usual to see the amalgamation of parties over time.
Democrat Lee Wing-tat  said the negotiations began about six months ago, when his party approached The Frontier.
'This will be a win-win situation for both of us because after a merger, the pro-democracy forces can be strengthened and our ranks can be beefed up,' he said.
The Frontier, which has one lawmaker and three district councillors, has its small power base in New Territories East. It is understood the party's New Territories East branch supports the move.
'Even though some members  expressed concerns, the party's overall development cannot be blocked just because people don't want competition,' one party veteran said.
Some pan-democrats say tension surrounding the rise of the League of Social Democrats in the radical wing of the camp and mounting grievances against the Civic Party during last month's election had given the Democratic Party an incentive to  expand or risk losing influence.
A source close to the negotiations said the Democratic Party wanted to consolidate its influence while The Frontier wanted to ensure its long-term development, realising the political environment had made it difficult for single-lawmaker parties to survive and achieve results.
One Democratic Party source said Ms Lau  would strengthen the party's image as a dedicated and established force in pushing for democracy.
It is understood the Democratic Party has also approached Cyd Ho Sau-lan,  of Civic Act-up, and other pan-democrat independents. Discussions have also been conducted with the Civic Party, although with no concrete results.



Democrats and Frontier to unite forces in merger