https://www.scmp.com/rss/34834/feed The latest news on Wong Yuk-man, Hong Kong author, current affairs commentator, radio host and former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Jess Ma Jess Ma Hong Kong authorities have launched a pilot scheme to install a new smart fire alarm system that can detect and report a blaze in minutes, with a target to install it in 3,600 old buildings that have yet to be fitted with adequate firefighting facilities. The Fire Services Department said on Friday it started installing a fire detection system that utilises Internet of Things technology in 10 buildings that were up to six storeys tall across 10 districts, with a three-month trial on the selected... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3330269/hong-kong-launches-scheme-install-smart-fire-alarms-3600-old-buildings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3330269/hong-kong-launches-scheme-install-smart-fire-alarms-3600-old-buildings?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Oct 2025 13:07:58 +0000 Jay Rooney Jay Rooney Derek Leung Ka-chun and an excited group of owners are dreaming of international Group One glory when they team up with top sprinter Lucky Sweynesse in Sunday’s Sprinters Stakes (1,200m) at Nakayama Racecourse. Leung, 37, is confident Lucky Sweynesse can deliver him a first overseas success at the elite level while the four-time Group One winner’s owners – the Cheng family – will fulfil a dream 17 years in the making on Sunday. Leung has ridden 499 winners in Hong Kong – including two at Group... https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/3327065/derek-leung-and-cheng-family-dream-japanese-group-one-glory-lucky-sweynesse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/3327065/derek-leung-and-cheng-family-dream-japanese-group-one-glory-lucky-sweynesse?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Sep 2025 02:01:49 +0000 Cannix Yau Cannix Yau Hong Kong police have arrested 12 people linked to a fraud syndicate selling fake tickets to major concerts, including performances by G-Dragon and Jay Chou, amid fervour for live shows sparked by the opening of Kai Tak Sports Park. Eight men and four women, aged between 18 and 48, were arrested this week for allegedly conspiring to defraud and launder money. The group is connected to seven fraud cases that occurred between June 1 and 13, involving HK$110,000 (US$14,100) in losses. They have... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3324611/12-arrested-over-sale-fake-g-dragon-jay-chou-concert-tickets-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3324611/12-arrested-over-sale-fake-g-dragon-jay-chou-concert-tickets-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Sep 2025 12:01:22 +0000 Ng Kang-chung Ng Kang-chung Hong Kong authorities are seeking to remove at least five opposition groups from the official societies register, including the now-defunct Scholarism founded by jailed activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung and political party People Power. The groups have three months to submit proof that they are still functioning or else their operations will be banned. According to notices published by the Government Gazette on Friday, 285 community groups and organisations are facing the risk of deregistration. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3322884/hong-kong-remove-least-5-opposition-groups-societies-register?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3322884/hong-kong-remove-least-5-opposition-groups-societies-register?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Aug 2025 14:17:23 +0000 Ng Kang-chung Ng Kang-chung The League of Social Democrats, one of Hong Kong’s last opposition political parties, has announced it will disband after operating for nearly two decades. The decision was revealed in a press event invite sent out by the political party on Friday. In the document, the group said it would share further details about its plan to disband in the briefing on Sunday. “Next year marks the 20th anniversary of the League of Social Democrats. However, we will not survive to see that day and will announce... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3316164/hong-kongs-league-social-democrats-disband-after-19-years-opposition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3316164/hong-kongs-league-social-democrats-disband-after-19-years-opposition?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Jun 2025 13:23:01 +0000 The summer heat must be getting into people’s heads. How else can you explain why some of the city’s most prominent public figures are going at each other’s throats? No, I wasn’t thinking about the tongue-lashing former chief executive Leung Chun-ying gave to veteran journalist Francis Moriarty over an invitation by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club to Hong Kong National Party boss Andy Chan Ho-tin to talk about independence for the city. Rather, I was thinking about a new row between two of Hong... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2159871/yellow-ribbon-torn-infighting-erupts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2159871/yellow-ribbon-torn-infighting-erupts?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Aug 2018 09:48:57 +0000 A former pan-democratic lawmaker convicted of giving an ex-Hong Kong leader a scare by hurling a glass towards him during a legislative meeting told a court on Monday his action could not possibly amount to assault. Wong Yuk-man was jailed for two weeks and fined HK$5,000 (US$637) after he was found guilty of common assault on former chief executive Leung Chun-ying by the Eastern Court in 2016. The radical lawmaker, known for his animated speaking and filibustering attempts during his tenure... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-law-and-crime/article/2158495/throwing-glass-towards-ex-hong-kong-leader?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-law-and-crime/article/2158495/throwing-glass-towards-ex-hong-kong-leader?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Aug 2018 11:00:00 +0000 A former Hong Kong lawmaker jailed for hurling a glass at the city’s top official in 2014 argued in his appeal on Monday that he had been deprived of a fair trial. Wong Yuk-man complained that the trial magistrate had erred in allowing prosecutors to give closing submissions, despite a century-old principle barring such practice when a defendant did not hire a lawyer or summon witnesses other than himself, as in the present case. The complaint – the first of Wong’s seven grounds of appeal –... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2133057/fiery-ex-hong-kong-lawmaker-claims-his-assault-trial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2133057/fiery-ex-hong-kong-lawmaker-claims-his-assault-trial?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Feb 2018 11:01:58 +0000 The former Legco disrupter extraordinaire, Raymond “Mad Dog” Wong Yuk-man, is calling it quits. No one should be surprised since he lost to neophyte Yau Wai-ching of the localist group Youngspiration in the last Legislative Council election. My guess is that the next one to follow will be Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee. Both belong to the same generation of politicians during a pivotal period in Hong Kong, though they have fought at opposite sides of the political fence. Both are in their mid-60s and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2088655/mad-dog-quitting-politics-will-regina-ip-be-next?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2088655/mad-dog-quitting-politics-will-regina-ip-be-next?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Apr 2017 16:51:10 +0000 Former lawmaker Wong Yuk-man vowed to appeal against his conviction after he was jailed for two weeks on Tuesday for hurling a glass at Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying during a Legislative Council meeting two years ago. The 64-year-old was not immediately remanded as magistrate Chu Chung-keung granted his bail application pending appeal, with his bail set at HK$5,000. The Eastern Court case marked the first conviction of a lawmaker for protesting within the deliberation chambers. Wong said that... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2039806/hong-kong-court-jails-wong-yuk-man-two-weeks-hurling-glass?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2039806/hong-kong-court-jails-wong-yuk-man-two-weeks-hurling-glass?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Oct 2016 02:30:45 +0000 Former lawmaker Wong Yuk-man was convicted of common assault on Wednesday for hurling a glass at Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying during a Legislative Council meeting two years ago. The case, according to Wong, marked the first conviction of a lawmaker for protesting within the deliberation chambers. Wong, 64, did not react in the courtroom after the lengthy verdict of more than two hours was read out at Eastern Court. But he pledged outside court: “I will protest judicially by lodging an... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2029499/wong-yuk-man-convicted-common-assault-throwing-glass-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2029499/wong-yuk-man-convicted-common-assault-throwing-glass-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Oct 2016 05:00:45 +0000 In September, former lawmaker Wong Yuk-man said he was considering launching a private prosecution against Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying over his receipt of HK$50 million from Australian engineering firm UGL. Before doing so, however, he would be well advised to take legal advice, as a private prosecutor may face formidable obstacles. The right of private prosecution is an ancient one, and British judge Lord Wilberforce called it “a valuable constitutional safeguard against inertia or... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2024658/private-hong-kong-prosecutors-warned-obstacles-if-they-wish?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2024658/private-hong-kong-prosecutors-warned-obstacles-if-they-wish?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Oct 2016 10:56:06 +0000 Outgoing lawmaker Wong Yuk-man has vowed revenge on Leung Chun-ying after he revealed in court that the chief executive was advised not to prosecute him for allegedly throwing a glass in the Legislative Council more than two years ago. “[Leung] is happy that I cannot be a lawmaker any more but he shouldn’t be too happy because I will follow him till death,” Wong told reporters, following his first court appearance just days after losing his seat in Sunday’s polls. The veteran politician said... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2017287/wong-yuk-man-promises-revenge-hong-kong-chief-executive-cy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2017287/wong-yuk-man-promises-revenge-hong-kong-chief-executive-cy?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Sep 2016 14:54:13 +0000 An outgoing Hong Kong lawmaker slammed Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying in court on Monday, calling him a vindictive person with “no friends in the city”, as he attempted to discredit the man accusing him of assault. Mounting his own defence in a trial that saw Hong Kong’s top official take the witness stand for the first time, pan-democrat lawmaker Wong Yuk-man denied aiming at Leung when he allegedly threw a glass during a question-and-answer session in the Legislative Council chamber on July... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2000834/cy-leung-crook-lawmaker-accused-throwing-glass-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2000834/cy-leung-crook-lawmaker-accused-throwing-glass-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Aug 2016 06:06:44 +0000 A pro-establishment legislator cross-examined by radical lawmaker Wong Yuk-man – a self-proclaimed pioneer of filibustering – asked a court on Thursday whether it would constitute a threat if Wong told him he would be grilled “slowly”. Wong Ting-kwong, a lawmaker from the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, expressed his concern in Eastern Court when he was probed by Wong Yuk-man, who is on trial for allegedly throwing a glass at Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1939613/hong-kong-lawmaker-asks-whether-accused-wong-yuk-man?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1939613/hong-kong-lawmaker-asks-whether-accused-wong-yuk-man?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Apr 2016 16:00:43 +0000 A radical lawmaker accused of ­assaulting Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying suggested to a court on Wednesday he was the reason a pro-establishment legislator – alleged to be a close ally of the city’s leader – had frequently been seen dozing off in meetings. Raymond Wong Yuk-man told Eastern Court that since he pioneered filibustering in Legislative Council meetings, Wong Ting-kwong, of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, had been caught asleep on camera by the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1939034/dozing-hong-kong-lawmaker-accused-cy-leung-glass-throwing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1939034/dozing-hong-kong-lawmaker-accused-cy-leung-glass-throwing?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Apr 2016 06:00:00 +0000 Video footage played in court on Tuesday showed Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying moving in the Legco chamber as a glass broke behind rather than being frozen to the spot in shock, as he testified last week. When police detective Kwan Sin-yuen was shown the iCable news footage by lawmaker Wong Yuk-man, he agreed that Leung had moved. The radical lawmaker, who is accused of throwing the glass, was conducting his own defence in Eastern Court. Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying tells court of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1938691/video-evidence-contradicts-testimony-chief-executive-cy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1938691/video-evidence-contradicts-testimony-chief-executive-cy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Apr 2016 13:39:03 +0000 Radical lawmaker Wong Yuk-man challenged the submission of three pieces of media footage that purportedly captured his alleged assault on the city’s top official, after a security guard testified that he saw a glass flung while he manned CCTV cameras at the Legislative Council chamber. Legco security assistant Lau Vai-kun told Eastern Court on Monday that he saw objects being thrown inside the meeting chamber while he was controlling the four live cameras. “First there were some lawmakers who... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1938362/somehow-glass-was-flung-out-legco-security-guard-tells?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1938362/somehow-glass-was-flung-out-legco-security-guard-tells?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Apr 2016 05:49:09 +0000 A radical lawmaker accused of assaulting Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying told a court on Friday that the city’s leader gave no physical reaction when a glass the lawmaker allegedly threw broke behind him, despite claiming he was shocked by a shattering noise. In the unprecedented trial, in which Leung appeared as a prosecution witness, Wong Yuk-man told Eastern Court that video footage showed Leung “stood as still as a plank” in the Legislative Council chamber while he was allegedly... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1937667/hong-kongs-chief-executive-didnt-flinch-when-glass?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1937667/hong-kongs-chief-executive-didnt-flinch-when-glass?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Apr 2016 03:25:44 +0000 The historic cross-examination of Hong Kong’s top official grew testy as the city’s chief executive complained a lawmaker accused of assaulting him was repeating his questions in court. Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying continued to give evidence at Eastern Court on Thursday against lawmaker Wong Yuk-man, whom he accused of throwing a glass at him in the Legislative Council during a question-and-answer session on July 3, 2014. Watch: Hong Kong leader CY Leung back in court to testify in assault... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1937532/i-dont-want-repeat-myself-hong-kong-chief-executive-tells?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1937532/i-dont-want-repeat-myself-hong-kong-chief-executive-tells?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Apr 2016 05:45:30 +0000 Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying told a court on Tuesday of how he feared injury when a radical lawmaker allegedly assaulted him in the Legislative Council, at the start of a landmark trial that has again dragged Hong Kong’s political woes into the international ­spotlight. While his supporters and opponents held chaotic counter-protests outside Eastern Court, Leung became the city’s first sitting chief executive to testify in a criminal trial as he told the court of his shock when Wong Yuk-man... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1937230/hong-kong-chief-executive-leung-chun-ying-tells-court-shock?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1937230/hong-kong-chief-executive-leung-chun-ying-tells-court-shock?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Apr 2016 16:30:45 +0000 Chief executive Leung Chun-ying testified he feared injury over a 2014 incident in the city’s legislative chamber, appearing today in a packed court for the assault trial of lawmaker Wong Yuk-man. Led by the prosecution for whom he was a witness, Leung said disruptions in the Legislative Council had taken place in the past but that the incident during a question-and-answer session was different. “This time it was a glass that was thrown,” he said. “It’s an assault.” Hong Kong court first: city’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1937005/shall-i-call-you-chief-executive-leung-hong-kong-lawmaker?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1937005/shall-i-call-you-chief-executive-leung-hong-kong-lawmaker?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Apr 2016 01:15:30 +0000 Secretary for Transport and Housing Anthony Cheung Bing-leung and six lawmakers will be summoned as witnesses in radical lawmaker Raymond Wong Yuk-man’s trial for alleged assault on Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying in July 2014. The trial was originally scheduled to start on Monday at Eastern Court but has been adjourned to next week. On Monday the independent lawmaker once again made a request for the court to summon witnesses – 11 this time round – for the case. They included Chief Secretary... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1935252/hong-kong-transport-and-housing-chief-and-six-legislators?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1935252/hong-kong-transport-and-housing-chief-and-six-legislators?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Apr 2016 09:14:07 +0000 Radical lawmaker Wong Yuk-man was rejected a second time in his application for summonses from the court to call 70 defence witnesses in a trial over his alleged assault on Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying in July 2014. Eastern Court magistrate Chu Chung-keung ruled that Wong’s application did not meet legal requirements. The same magistrate had rejected Wong’s request on March 10 as he found that Wong failed to show that his potential witnesses had seen the incident and would be able to assist... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1932879/hong-kong-lawmakers-bid-call-70-defence-witnesses-assault?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1932879/hong-kong-lawmakers-bid-call-70-defence-witnesses-assault?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Apr 2016 09:42:37 +0000 Radical pan-democrat lawmaker Wong Yuk-man said on Tuesday he would not join a lunch with Beijing’s liaison office director Zhang Xiaoming next week. The lunch will be the first time the central government’s Hong Kong liaison office has sat down with lawmakers from across the political spectrum represented in the Legislative Council. Wong, formerly a People Power member and co-founder of the party, said, “I am adamant that mainland officials should not interfere with Hong Kong affairs,” he... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1278854/lawmaker-wong-yuk-man-refuses-join-zhang-xiaomings-legco-lunch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1278854/lawmaker-wong-yuk-man-refuses-join-zhang-xiaomings-legco-lunch?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Jul 2013 11:25:50 +0000 Pro-democracy lawmaker Wong Yuk-man has been sentenced to one month in jail by a Taiwanese court for assaulting Hong Kong district councillor Andrew Fung Wai-kwong while they were in Taipei last year. Fung, a former Democratic Party member, yesterday showed reporters a judicial notice handed down by the Taipei District Court on Wednesday. The judgment gives Wong, formerly a People Power member, an option to stay out of jail by paying NT$1,000 (HK$257) for each day of the sentence. Wong, who has... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1266140/lawmaker-gets-jail-term-assault-taipei?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1266140/lawmaker-gets-jail-term-assault-taipei?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Jun 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Christopher Lau Gar-hung has resigned as People Power's chairman after two years in the post, dealing yet another blow to the radical pan-democratic party. Lau’s decision, announced on Thursday morning, comes less than a month after maverick lawmaker Wong Yuk-man announced his high-profile resignation from the party, which Wong co-founded in 2011. Wong’s May resignation was allegedly linked to internal disputes among members of the party, including Lau and the party's financial backer Stephen... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1264839/people-power-sees-another-high-profile-exit-chairman-christopher-lau?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1264839/people-power-sees-another-high-profile-exit-chairman-christopher-lau?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Jun 2013 02:03:49 +0000 Radical lawmakers Wong Yuk-man and Albert Chan Wai-yip have been given suspended jail terms for unlawful assembly after a protest march two years ago. Immediately, the pro-establishment camp sees an opportunity to get rid of its opposition from the legislative assembly. Article 79 of the Basic Law states that if a legislator is found guilty of a criminal offence and sentenced to a month or more in jail, he could be relieved of his duties by a motion passed by two-thirds of legislators present in... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1254931/push-convicted-lawmakers-be-ousted-sake-democracy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1254931/push-convicted-lawmakers-be-ousted-sake-democracy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Jun 2013 16:00:00 +0000 A lawmaker has backed away from her controversial attempt to have two pro-democracy radicals kicked out of the legislature - at least for now. Ann Chiang Lai-wan, of the pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, had planned a disqualification motion against Wong Yuk-man and Albert Chan Wai-yip. Wong and Chan were sentenced to six and five weeks in prison, suspended for 14 months and a year respectively, after they were convicted of unlawful assembly two years... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1250819/sentenced-lawmakers-might-still-keep-seats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1250819/sentenced-lawmakers-might-still-keep-seats?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Barry Cheung Chun-yuen Things went from bad to worse this week for Cheung, who stepped down from all his public posts on Friday. Police interviewed him as part of their investigation into the failure of his Hong Kong Mercantile Exchange, which had to hand back its trading licence last weekend. Four people have been arrested in connection with the investigation and three have appeared in court.   Wong Yuk-man The "mad dog" of Hong Kong politics fell out with another political party, this time... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1246195/bad-week-may-26-2013?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1246195/bad-week-may-26-2013?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Among democrats everywhere, you inevitably find a few demagogues. They are the most extreme, and reject any accommodation and compromise. They dismiss mainstream democrats as traitors to the cause and run their own fringe groups. But in time, even these more extremist groups are not to their liking; and they go their own way, taking their diehard followers with them. Since their following is often substantial, especially among the young and disenfranchised, they are a substantial political force... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1243680/dangerous-demagogue-our-midst?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1243680/dangerous-demagogue-our-midst?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000 The extent of the rift within the radical People Power association emerged yesterday as lawmaker Wong Yuk-man, who quit the group on Monday, revealed that affiliate group the Proletariat Political Institute will go independent with him. Wong, nicknamed "Mad Dog", said plans by People Power to persuade him to change his mind were useless after the group did the "unacceptable" and deviated from its founding manifesto on direct democracy. The maverick lawmaker pledged to focus on strengthening the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1242982/people-power-feels-mad-dog-wong-yuk-mans-bite?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1242982/people-power-feels-mad-dog-wong-yuk-mans-bite?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Two radical lawmakers are expected to keep their Legislative Council seats, despite receiving suspended jail terms yesterday for their leading roles in an unlawful assembly two years ago. Under Article 79 of the Basic Law, Legco can expel any lawmaker who is jailed for more than one month - if an impeachment motion is raised and supported by a two-thirds majority. However, such a motion is unlikely to succeed because the pan-democratic bloc, with 27 seats, would be expected to vote it down. Wong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1243048/radical-lawmakers-unlikely-lose-seats-over-suspended-jail-terms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1243048/radical-lawmakers-unlikely-lose-seats-over-suspended-jail-terms?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Two radical lawmakers could lose their seat after being sentenced for five to six weeks in prison, suspended for at least a year, for their leading role in an unlawful assembly in July 2011. People Power lawmaker Albert Chan Wai-yip and former party colleague Wong Yuk-man, who resigned from the party on Monday, slammed the “unreasonable” sentencing and vowed to appeal. Wong was sentenced to six weeks in jail, suspended for 14 months; and Chan was sentenced to five weeks in jail, suspended for a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1242609/lawmakers-suspended-jail-terms-put-legco-seats-risk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1242609/lawmakers-suspended-jail-terms-put-legco-seats-risk?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 May 2013 02:53:40 +0000 Maverick lawmaker Wong Yuk-man has announced his immediate resignation from People Power - the radical pan-democratic party he founded in 2011. The surprise decision yesterday by the one of the most charismatic politicians in Hong Kong is likely to deal a huge blow to the city's radical movement, the party's leaders conceded. It would also leave the Alliance for True Democracy - a coalition formed of all pan-democratic lawmakers to fight for electoral reform - with 26 seats, although still able... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1242305/maverick-lawmaker-abruptly-quits-people-power-party-he-co-founded?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1242305/maverick-lawmaker-abruptly-quits-people-power-party-he-co-founded?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000 The original filibusters were pirates, not politicians, terrorising the cities of the West Indies and inciting revolts in Latin America. Since the term was first applied to politicians in the United States in the 19th century, those who have engaged in the practice have, rather like the pirates of old, been portrayed alternately as swashbuckling heroes providing an essential check and balance on power or villains intent on wrecking civilised society. In Hong Kong, a recent filibuster led by... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1242169/filibuster-hong-kongs-legislative-assembly-divides-lawmakers-public?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1242169/filibuster-hong-kongs-legislative-assembly-divides-lawmakers-public?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000 People Power lawmaker Albert Chan Wai-yip apologised "unconditionally" yesterday for suggesting an Eastern Court magistrate had a "political mission". The apology followed a warning by the magistrate, Joseph To Ho-shing, that Chan might be charged if he refused to admit he was wrong. The episode arose from a verbal exchange between To and Chan in court on March 12 during a hearing after which Chan and party colleague Wong Yuk-man were convicted of organising an unlawful assembly in 2011. They... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1239165/legislator-apologises-political-mission-comment-magistrate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1239165/legislator-apologises-political-mission-comment-magistrate?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Two Communist Party mouthpieces yesterday reported the controversy in Hong Kong over the HK$100 million donation to earthquake victims in Sichuan - pointing the finger at the Red Cross Society of China. The articles, in People's Daily and the English edition of Global Times, came after the Legislative Council passed the government's funding request on Friday - a vote that saw 23 pan-democratic lawmakers oppose it. The Global Times story quoted radical legislator Wong Yuk-man's criticisms of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1231794/party-papers-remark-hong-kong-quake-donation-furore?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1231794/party-papers-remark-hong-kong-quake-donation-furore?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Two lawmakers of pro-democracy party People Power have been convicted of organising an unlawful assembly in 2011, with the magistrate slamming one of them, Wong Yuk-man, for being "dishonest and unreliable" and giving questionable testimony. The other defendant, Albert Chan Wai-yip, may face a fresh charge for insulting the magistrate. The court asked yesterday that he apologise when it issued its sentencing on May 16. The duo said they would appeal against their convictions. They stand to lose... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1226187/convicted-people-power-duo-dishonest-insulting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1226187/convicted-people-power-duo-dishonest-insulting?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Legislative Council president Jasper Tsang Yok-sing has - against government advice - approved more than 700 amendments tabled in the pan-democrats' filibustering bid on the budget bill. Radical lawmakers - including the League of Social Democrats' "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung and People Power's Wong Yuk-man - had filed 751 budget amendments to protest the omission of a universal pension scheme. Tsang said he approved most of them. "The government advised me not to approve the majority … because... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1220087/legco-head-approves-budget-amendments-made-filibustering-bid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1220087/legco-head-approves-budget-amendments-made-filibustering-bid?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Lawmaker “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung on Friday lost his appeal against a refusal, by the High Court, to hear his judicial challenge against the president of the Legislative Council. Last May legislature chief Tsang Yok-sing decided to halt Leung’s filibuster against a piece of legislation, leading to the lawmaker’s challenge. The panel of three Court of Appeal judges dismissed Leung’s appeal, emphasising the cardinal principles of separation of powers and parliamentary privilege. The panel... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1141191/long-hair-loses-appeal-challenging-legco-filibuster-decision?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1141191/long-hair-loses-appeal-challenging-legco-filibuster-decision?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Feb 2013 09:30:27 +0000 The government has dropped charges against guest speakers on a pirate radio station, despite pursuing a prosecution for more than five years. Sixteen speakers on Citizens' Radio including "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung, Democratic Party chairwoman Emily Lau Wai-hing, Wong Yuk-man and Albert Chan Wai-yip, were also granted costs by Acting Chief Magistrate Bina Chainrai at the Eastern Court yesterday. The prosecution lawyer for the department of justice, Raymond Chang Hoi-chung, said the charges were... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1128058/charges-dropped-against-16-guests-pirate-station-citizens-radio?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1128058/charges-dropped-against-16-guests-pirate-station-citizens-radio?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Jan 2013 16:00:00 +0000 A lawmaker said the free beds offered at private hospitals may as well not exist, after the health chief admitted that other charges at the facilities meant the poor were unlikely to ever use them. Secretary for Food and Health Dr Ko Wing-man's comments came after he said told the Legislative Council's Public Accounts Committee in a meeting yesterday that the low occupancy rate for the free beds at private hospitals was the result of other fees charged there, including for patient... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1100972/wong-yuk-man-questions-worth-free-beds-private-hospitals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1100972/wong-yuk-man-questions-worth-free-beds-private-hospitals?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The Legislative Council yesterday voted down a motion of no confidence in the widely criticised secretaries for development and education. Lawmakers in the geographical seats passed the motion - proposed by People Power lawmaker Wong Yuk-man - 19-14, but it was defeated 10-21 in the functional constituency seats. Secretary for Development Paul Chan Mo-po has had to fend off accusations he owned illegally subdivided flats and a possible case of drink driving, while Education Secretary Eddie Ng... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1082518/ministers-survive-vote-no-confidence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1082518/ministers-survive-vote-no-confidence?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Five prominent pan-democrat lawmakers won an appeal, on Tuesday morning, against their conviction for speaking on an unlicensed radio station in 2008. Four of the five judges on the Court of Final Appeal panel ruled in favour of the appellants – lawmakers Wong Yuk-man, Emily Lau Wai-hing, Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Chan Wai-yip, and former lawmaker Lee Wing-tat. The legislators were prosecuted after speaking as guests on a Citizens’ Radio discussion in Sai Yeung Choi Street South, in Mongkok, on... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1081538/pan-democrats-win-appeal-citizens-radio-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1081538/pan-democrats-win-appeal-citizens-radio-case?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Nov 2012 05:04:50 +0000 Two face court over laundering of HK$68m A solicitor and the wife of a former executive director of a listed mainland-based company, Natural Dairy (NZ) Holdings, will appear in Eastern Court today accused of laundering more than HK$68 million in criminal proceeds. The Independent Commission Against Corruption charged Wu Wing-kit, 56, and Ye Fang, 41, with dealing with property known or reasonably believed to be the proceeds of an indictable offence. Ye's husband, Chen Keen, 44, and another two... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1074407/city-digest-november-2-2012?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1074407/city-digest-november-2-2012?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000 In all he does, People Power lawmaker Wong Yuk-man stirs controversy. From playing the banana-throwing maverick to masterminding the "de facto referendum" to becoming "Mr filibuster", political journalists have never been short of headlines since he joined the Legislative Council in 2008. The latest episode to put Wong under the spotlight was yet another internal row within the pan-democratic camp. On Friday, he beat fellow pan-democrat Cyd Ho Sau-lan to grab the seventh and final seat on... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1066648/mister-trouble-wong-yuk-man-takes-status-quo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1066648/mister-trouble-wong-yuk-man-takes-status-quo?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Oct 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Radical lawmaker Wong Yuk-man of People Power knocked out fellow pan-democrat Cyd Ho Sau-lan to win the seventh and final seat on a Legislative Council committee yesterday, thanks to an unexpected boost from the pro-establishment camp. Most of the 34 votes Wong won for the membership of the public accounts committee were cast by lawmakers of the rival camp; the remaining four were from his party and the League of Social Democrats. "There was no co-ordination [with the pro-establishment camp].... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1065258/trade-denied-legco-rivals-vote-opposition-committee?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1065258/trade-denied-legco-rivals-vote-opposition-committee?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Oct 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The top court has begun hearing an appeal whether five prominent pan-democrats who were fined for speaking on pirate station Citizens' Radio in 2008 should have been prosecuted. The five defendants - the Democratic Party's Emily Lau Wai-hing and Lee Wing-tat, People Power's Wong Yuk-man and Albert Chan Wai-yip, and Labour Party's Lee Cheuk-yan - were each fined HK$1,000 in 2009 for staging a radio broadcast in April 2008 on a busy Mong Kok street, a decision that the Court of First Instance... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1064300/judgment-reserved-citizens-radio-appeal-case-involving-five-democrats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1064300/judgment-reserved-citizens-radio-appeal-case-involving-five-democrats?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:00:00 +0000 People Power lawmaker Wong Yuk-man has finally taken his Legislative Council oath of office - after a second attempt. Instead of skipping key words in the oath by coughing at strategic moments as he did the first time, Wong started by praying "for God to forgive him for making a dishonest oath", but was stopped by Legco president Jasper Tsang Yok-sing. Wong then proceeded to read out part of his oath in different tones of voice. For example, in the Cantonese phrase yan man gung wo gwok, which... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1063341/wong-yuk-man-retakes-oath-office-legco?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1063341/wong-yuk-man-retakes-oath-office-legco?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Oct 2012 16:00:00 +0000