Motion for the adjournment of the Council——the handling of people's assemblies by the SAR Government and the Hong Kong Police since 26 September this year.  (2014/10/15)

President, Occupy Central is now entering its 19th day. The kind of street occupation and confrontation which Hong Kong people hate to see has finally happened. The function of a government is to maintain the normal operation of society. Occupy Central, however, aims to paralyse the Government and the organizers take this as a bargaining chip, and thus sacrifice the overall interest of Hong Kong. The occupation of three locations in the territory by protesters and the resultant paralysis of road traffic have produced an obvious economic impact which is beginning to be felt by different industries and trades.

In the midst of the present political uncertainties, the tourism industry, one of the four pillars of the Hong Kong economy, is particularly vulnerable to impact. Recently, a number of countries have issued travel alert for Hong Kong, and some Mainland provinces and cities have tightened the issue of permits for package tours to the territory. Traditionally, October and November every year should be the peak season of business trips and tourist visits to Hong Kong. However, people from the industry now reflect that they have received a gradually rising number of cancellation requests from Mainland and overseas package tours, business visitors and people intending to come here under the Individual Visit Scheme. The volume of hotel reservation is lower than expected and requests for room cancellation have increased significantly. If the Occupy Central movement continues, it is estimated that the room occupancy rate may drop drastically by 50% to 60% in the case of those hotels that are more seriously hit, a record low for the corresponding periods of the recent 10 years. In regard to outbound travels, the statistics I have recently collected show that the business volume in the first half of October dropped by 20% when compared with the volume in the same period last year. It is believed that many people are now reluctant to travel overseas due to their worries about the Occupy Central movement. There are 1 700 travel agencies in Hong Kong, and more than 90% of them are small and medium enterprises (SMEs) whose revenues are low and cashflows limited. With the cancellation of tours and other booked services and the resultant shrinkage in business volume, the industry will certainly sustain severe impact and suffer immensely. If the occupation movement drags on endlessly, we simply do not know for how much longer those firms in poorer financial shape can still last. When the end of the year arrives, these SMEs will have to settle bills and distribute double-pay to their employees. If they cannot have sufficient cashflows, a wave of business closure is bound to take place. Tourism-related industries such as retailing, catering and transport will also sustain severe impact and face survival difficulties. Owing to the ripple effect, employees in the services industry and related businesses will see not only a drop in income but also the breaking of their "rice bowls" at any time. It is evident that the repercussions are not confined to the damage visible at present but will last for prolonged periods. 

When faced with this occupation movement and its highly negative impact on people's livelihood, the economy and law and order, the Hong Kong Government must show its commitment, adopt all necessary measures to restore social order, and stop the persistence of any unlawful acts which pose threats to government and police authority and impact people's daily life.

Deputy President, Members may still remember that the incident was sparked off in the night of 26 September when a Scholarism member who sought to escalate the action called upon other protesters at the venue to climb over the fence and charge into the East Wing Forecourt of the Central Government Offices. The situation then went out of control, and a number of security guards, police officers and protesters were injured. On 28 September, we saw on television that crowds of protesters equipped with protection against pepper spray and also umbrellas as weapons launched direct attacks on the police cordon line over and over again in total disregard for the safety of both sides, thus causing the injuries of many. To prevent further injuries, and having failed  repeatedly to advise the protesters against such acts, the Police had to apply an appropriate level of force and made use of pepper spray. But they still could not bring the situation under control, so they had no alternative but to use tear gas. Suppose the protesters had really abided by their previous vow of holding a peaceful assembly, and suppose they had not engaged in any dangerous charging acts, would the Police have used any tear gas all of a sudden? Given the circumstances of the time, we must trust the professional judgment of the Police and agree that the application of an appropriate level of force to maintain order was actually the last resort. The Hong Kong Police Force enjoys a high international reputation. Theymust handle thousands of demonstrations each year, but they have always remained restrained and calm, showing a very high level of professionalism. When judged against international standards, Hong Kong police officers are far more civilized in behaviour than their counterparts in Europe and the United States. The Hong Kong Police Force has certainly been facing unprecedented challenges over the past 20 days. While having to maintain law and order as usual in all the districts of Hong Kong, they must also tackle tens of thousands of protesters in various locations round the clock, attempt to maintain order and traffic flows in demonstration areas, and even use their own bodies to keep protesters and their rivals apart. In spite of rains and the scorching sun, they have always remained vigilant and strictly enforced the law in a manner that deserves commendation. But then, police officers are also humans. Having taken part in prolonged and tough operations marked by provocations of varying degrees from different people, police officers may at times lose control of their own emotions, and a really handful few might even overreact. People should understand that they do not mean to do so. If there is unlawful conduct, we should take legal actions. But rather than appreciating the predicament faced by the Police, some Members from the pan-democratic camp have put forth many groundless and unreasonable accusations, such as abuses of power and harbouring triad elements. As Legislative Council Members, we should express our views objectively on the problems between the Police and protesters, so as to avoid any deterioration of the problem. All accusations must be supported by facts and evidence. I hope that these Members can stop all such mudslinging, assess the performance of the Police in a fair and objective manner, and support the discharge of their duties under the law. Damaging the reputation and authority of the Police is not going to do any good to the rule of law in Hong Kong.

Deputy President, Hong Kong people enjoy freedom of speech and there are different channels for them to express their demands. Even though we uphold different political beliefs, we should not strive to realize our ideals at the expense of society's overall interests, nor should we seek to paralyse the Government as a bargaining chip, and still less should we resort to any illegal and violent means. For 19 days, Hong Kong people have shown a great deal of tolerance: people in the occupied areas must make detours when going to work; students cannot go to school as usual; operators of small shops who cannot have goods delivered to their doors must themselves trolley the goods bit by bit to their shops; and retail shops and restaurants have seen a plunge in business turnover. These people are the silent majority, and their tolerance of unlawful protesters is not without limit. I hope protesters can put themselves in other people's shoes and consider their needs. They should stop occupying the major trunk roads and let Hong Kong restore its normal social order as soon as possible.

I so submit.