Leung Chun-ying says Hong Kong sit-in was waste of police resources

Hongkongers should ask whether a sit-in protest staged on Chater Road in Central after the annual July 1 march was "a waste of police resources", Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said yesterday.

Leung also urged lawmakers during a question-and-answer session to think about why Legislative Council rules could be manipulated by radicals as "a tool to hijack" the city's social and economic development.

The remarks came despite anxiety in the pro-establishment camp over strained ties between the legislative and executive arms of government.

Earlier yesterday, about 20 pan-democratic legislators staged an unprecedented walkout to protest at Leung's "indifference" to the march. The legislature's president, Jasper Tsang Yok-sing, a pro-establishment heavyweight, urged Leung to reflect on the walkout and see how to serve Hongkongers better.

"I hope that lawmakers, the executive branch and the chief executive can all seriously [reflect on] the incident," Tsang said.

Watch: CY Leung: it’s a waste of police manpower to remove protesters