Hong Kong district council chairman needs police escort after extradition bill protesters chase him to MTR station
- Pro-government chairman adjourns meeting and is heckled to Mong Kok East after he refused motion about extradition crisis
- Motion called on government to scrap extradition bill and set up independent investigation into police conduct on June 12
The head of a Hong Kong district council was forced to abruptly adjourn a meeting and chased by protesters to the nearest railway station after he shot down a motion to discuss the government’s unpopular extradition bill.
Chris Ip Ngo-tung, of the pro-government Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), was on Thursday escorted by police to Mong Kok East station when he closed the Yau Tsim Mong district council meeting after only 30 minutes.
The confrontation was caused by Ip’s refusal to let three pro-democracy district councillors table a motion urging the government to scrap the bill and set up an independent investigation into police conduct during a protest on June 12.
During the protest in question, thousands of demonstrators surrounded the city’s legislature and police tried to disperse them by firing tear gas, rubber bullets and beanbag rounds. Some protesters allegedly threw bricks and sharp objects at police officers.
The now-suspended bill would have allowed the transfer of fugitives to jurisdictions with which Hong Kong has no extradition agreement, including mainland China.
Andy Yu Tak-po, a member of the Civic Party, said he filed the motion in accordance with the council’s rule of giving 10 days’ notice.
But Ip said the extradition bill was beyond the scope of district-level work, and rejected the motion.
Yu argued the council had in the past discussed larger issues such as universal suffrage.
Before the 2.30pm meeting about 20 protesters waited outside Mong Kok government offices to intercept Ip before he entered the building.
Protesters brought placards that mocked Ip, including one that showed his face on a turtle’s body.
“Ip is a turtle hiding in his shell,” the sign read.
The group shared a minute of silence in memory of the four people believed to have taken their own lives during the crisis.
When Ip failed to appear at the public entrance, protesters intercepted Yau Tsim Mong district officer Laura Liang Aron, a government official.
Aron refused to give her views on the extradition bill.
“The government’s stance is very clear,” she said. “I have nothing to add.”
Aron was surrounded by protesters and eventually escorted into a lift by the police.
Ip reached the meeting room via a staff entrance.
The chairman called for a minute’s silence, but was immediately confronted by protesters.
“Who are you taking a minute of silence for? What are their names?” one shouted.
Failing to calm protesters, Ip paused the meeting for three minutes.
Chaos returned after Ip again refused to allow Yu to table the motion.
Ip then adjourned the meeting and left the room. He was escorted by the police to Mong Kok East station with a mob of protesters close behind.
