Tear gas a protest first for Martin Lee

As founding chairman of the Democratic Party, Martin Lee Chu-ming has taken part in countless protests and rallies for democracy over the past three decades. Yet Sunday gave him a baptism of fire when it came to handling tear gas. At 5.45pm on Sunday, Lee was urging protesters to stay calm from a hastily assembled stage in Harcourt Road, Admiralty, when the first rounds of tear gas were fired at protesters. The move came unexpectedly after police issued a warning to protesters to stop charging. "The tear gas hit the ground close to where I was standing. I thought at that time I would die. It was the first time I got the taste of tear gas," Lee told All Around Town. "It sounds strange that the tear gas canisters flew over the heads of demonstrators charging police over rails to the direction of protesters who largely staged sit-ins peacefully on Harcourt Road. Police obviously hit the wrong targets," he said. He felt terrible discomfort, but gradually got better after friends poured water on his face. But Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, who was with Lee on stage, was less fortunate. The Next Media boss was hit in the back by a tear-gas canister. "Jimmy thought he had been hit by a plastic bullet," Lee recalled.

Legislative Council meetings will resume next week after an unusually busy summer break. But as most lawmakers roll up their sleeves and prepare for long debates - and possible filibuster attempts - on controversial topics from political reform to waste disposal, Legco president Jasper Tsang Yok-sing might have to rest his eyes. Tsang said a condition that had affected his left eye had returned and he needed anaesthetic to ease the pain. "It has to be cured, [and may] need surgery," Tsang said. However, Tsang did not say whether he planned to have it treated before meetings resume. He also said it would be better not to take pictures of him for the time being - not only because the flash made him uncomfortable, but because "it doesn't look good on my eye".