CHINA: Some 17,000 demonstrators take to the streets of Hong Kong demanding the resignation of the the city's chief executive and elections of a new government

Record ID: 836815

  • Title: CHINA: Some 17,000 demonstrators take to the streets of Hong Kong demanding the resignation of the the city's chief executive and elections of a new government
  • Date: 1st January 2013
  • Summary: HONG KONG, CHINA (JANUARY 1, 2013) (REUTERS) PROTESTERS MARCHING BANNER SHOWING CARTOON OF HAND PUTTING HONG KONG CHIEF EXECUTIVE LEUNG CHUN-YING INTO TRASH CAN, CHINESE WORDS ON BANNER READING: "BIG NEW YEAR RALLY, THE PEOPLE'S ANGER EXPLODES, LIAR CHIEF EXECUTIVE RESIGN, WE DO NOT WANT A LIAR GOVERNMENT, WE DEMAND UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE NOW" PEOPLE MARCHING BANNER READING: "CY STEP DOWN" VARIOUS OF PEOPLE MARCHING VARIOUS OF BANNER SHOWING LEUNG WITH VAMPIRE TEETH READING: "CAN HONG KONG TRUST THIS MAN?" (SOUNDBITE) (English) CONVENER OF CIVIL HUMAN RIGHTS FRONT, ORGANIZER OF PROTEST JACKIE HUNG, SAYING: "The first of the year is also a great time for us to shout our hope and to voice out our hope and demands to the Central Government, that we want universal suffrage, that universal suffrage and democratic development is not the hope and demand for (just) today -- we have been asking for more than 20 years. But the first of the day in the year is also a good timing for us to tell the government again that we urge for universal suffrage." VARIOUS OF BANNERS SHOWING LEUNG WITH VAMPIRE TEETH UNIVERSITY STUDENT KELVIN CHAN SHOUTING PEOPLE SHOUTING "LEUNG CHUN-YING, RESIGN" BOARD SHOWING LEUNG AS CLOWN WITH NUMBERS 689 ON FOREHEAD, REPRESENTING THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO VOTED LEUNG INTO POWER (SOUNDBITE) (Cantonese) 21-YEAR-OLD UNIVERSITY STUDENT, KELVIN CHAN, SAYING: "If the government lacks integrity, how can it have any authority to govern Hong Kong? So we must take to the streets and make our voices heard. Apart from saying "no" to our dishonest Chief Executive, we also demand an end to 'small-circle' election. We demand for one-person-one-vote to pick our Chief Executive, one-person-one-vote to choose the person who governs us. Because power belongs to the people." PROTESTERS SHOUTING BANNER SAYING "DOWN WITH LEUNG, FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY" (SOUNDBITE) (Cantonese) 16-YEAR-OLD STUDENT, AGNES CHAN, SAYING: "Today we march to demand for the resignation of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying. He did not come to power through universal suffrage. The people did not authorize him, so he does not listen to the people's voice. We can also see Leung Chun-ying has many political tasks, he is an underground Communist Party member, and we see signs of Hong Kong becoming more red. Therefore we hope to protect our next generation, to guard the future of Hong Kong. So we demand for Leung's resignation and fight for a democratic system." PEOPLE CHANTING "RESIGN, RESIGN, RESIGN" VARIOUS OF PEOPLE MARCHING WITH BANNERS PEOPLE MARCHING IN FRONT OF BANNER SHOWING LEUNG WITH VAMPIRE TEETH
  • Embargoed: 16th January 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Hong Kong, China
  • City:
  • Country: Hong Kong
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA8X9H0U89DK295RQU9ESHHXICP
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: Thousands in Hong Kong protested against the city's embattled leader Leung Chun-ying on Tuesday (January 1) as pressure continued to mount against the Beijing-backed politician who has been embroiled in an illegal construction scandal since taking office last July.
    Thronging the streets on a chilly New Year's Day, large crowds of people, some dressed in black with colourful banners, chanted "Leung Chun-ying step down" in a rally that snaked several kilometres towards government headquarters.
    By late afternoon, organisers put the turnout at around 60,000, though police said 17,000 had showed up.
    Organiser Jackie Hung said the first day of the year was an appropriate time to express their hopes for universal suffrage and democratic development.

    "The first of the year is also a great time for us to shout our hope and to voice out our hope and demands to the Central Government, that we want universal suffrage, that universal suffrage and democratic development is not the hope and demand for (just) today -- we have been asking for more than 20 years. But the first of the day in the year is also a good timing for us to tell the government again that we urge for universal suffrage," Hung said.
    The political heat has risen in recent months over Leung's failure to adequately explain a seemingly innocuous housing scandal in a luxury home that has corroded public trust and raised suspicions he may have covered up the scandal last year as he campaigned for highest office.
    Demonstrators said Leung, chosen by a pro-Beijing Election Committee of 1,200 people in March last year, lacks integrity.
    Many banners depicted Leung with vampire teeth, while one person held up a clownish Leung with the number 689 on his forehead, representing the number of people who voted him into power.

    "If the government lacks integrity, how can it have any authority to govern Hong Kong? So we must take to the streets and make our voices heard. Apart from saying "no" to our dishonest Chief Executive, we also demand an end to 'small-circle' election. We demand for one-person-one-vote to pick our Chief Executive, one-person-one-vote to choose the person who governs us. Because power belongs to the people," said Kelvin Chan, a university student.

    "Today we march to demand for the resignation of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying. He did not come to power through universal suffrage. The people did not authorize him, so he does not listen to the people's voice. We can also see Leung Chun-ying has many political tasks, he is an underground Communist Party member, and we see signs of Hong Kong becoming more red. Therefore we hope to protect our next generation, to guard the future of Hong Kong. So we demand for Leung's resignation and fight for a democratic system," said 16-year-old Agnes Chan, spokesperson of the group that staged a 10-day assembly that garnered support from tens of thousands outside the government headquarters in September.
    The demonstration was largely peaceful, though police maintained a heavy presence after two journalists were roughed up by pro-government supporters at a rival rally on Sunday (December 30).
    In a statement, Leung said that the government would "humbly" listen to the public's views. Several thousands of Leung's supporters also staged a pro-government new year rally.
    China's senior leaders including premier Wen Jiabao have warned of Hong Kong's "deep rooted conflicts" in the past, though Beijing has so far publicly endorsed Leung's administration when he made a duty visit to Beijing in December.
    In a stormy half year since taking office, Leung has also had to contend with a raft of policy challenges including an unpopular pro-Beijing education curriculum that was later shelved, high housing prices, and a massive influx of mainland Chinese visitors.
    Leung, sometimes dubbed the "wolf" for his perceived abrasive style and close ties to the Communist Party, has a chance to assuage some public discontent in an upcoming mid-January policy address, though populist measures aimed at cooling a red-hot property sector and poverty alleviation have so far had only a limited impact on t he public mood.
    While Hong Kong is generally considered an open and liberal business haven, its leaders since 1997 -- when the former British colony reverted to Chinese rule -- have sometimes struggled politically in the face of mass popular demands for democracy and more accountable governance.
    A half million strong anti-government rally in 2003 later forced former leader Tung Chee-hwa from office mid-term.
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