Lawmakers plan court action if Jasper Tsang cuts short budget filibuster

Pan-democrats who raised 1,917 amendments to the budget bill say their filibuster will last longer than last year's marathon, and warned that they will launch a judicial review if the debate is "unreasonably cut short" by Legislative Council president Jasper Tsang Yok-sing.

They called on fellow pan-democrats to use the filibuster as a chance to debate important issues.

"If the budget debate is unreasonably cut short again, we will file a … judicial review against Tsang's decision," said Albert Chan Wai-yip, who with fellow People Power member Ray Chan Chi-chuen has tabled 261 changes to Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah's budget.

It took 120 hours across 13 days to finish the second and third readings of last year's budget bill after a filibuster by radical pan-democrats. It was passed after Tsang invoked a Legco rule empowering him to act in a situation not covered by existing rules.

Tsang used the same grounds to cut short a 33-hour filibuster in May 2012, on a bill to prevent lawmakers who resigned midterm from standing in a by-election within six months. A judicial review of that decision filed by "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung awaits hearing in the Court of Final Appeal.

Leung, of the League of Social Democrats, has proposed 1,503 amendments to this year's bill.