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Thousands march
against Hong Kong chief executive
Reuters, HONG KONG
Thousands of pro-democracy
protesters take to the streets calling for Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying
to step down in Hong Kong yesterday.
Photo: AFP
Thousands in Hong Kong protested yesterday
against Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying (±ç®¶^) as pressure mounts
against the Beijing-backed politician who has been embroiled in an illegal
construction scandal since taking office in July.
Thronging the streets on New Year¡¦s Day, crowds of people, some dressed in black
with colorful banners and wearing long-nosed Pinocchio masks, chanted ¡§Leung
Chun-ying step down¡¨ in a rally that snaked several kilometers toward government
headquarters.
While Hong Kong is a largely stable financial hub with a strong rule of law, the
political heat has risen over Leung¡¦s failure to adequately explain seemingly
innocuous building work on his home, eroding public trust and raising suspicions
he may have covered up the scandal last year as he campaigned for the
leadership.
¡§CY Leung does not have the ability and credibility to handle even his own
personal scandals. How can he lead Hong Kong in a proper way with political and
economic development?¡¨ protest organizer Jackie Hung (¤Õ¥O·ì) said.
Leung last month said he had been negligent and apologized for how he handled
questions over his illegally built basement. Such work is common to maximize
living space in space-starved Hong Kong, but similar minor violations have
ensnared several prominent officials over the past year.
By late afternoon, organizers put the turnout at the protest at about 60,000,
though police said 17,000 had showed up.
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.
In a statement, Leung said 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 Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (·Å®aÄ_), 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 last month.
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 Chinese Communist Party, has a chance to assuage some public
discontent in a policy address in the middle of the month, though populist
measures aimed at cooling a red-hot property sector and poverty alleviation have
so far had only a limited impact on the public mood.
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