素肌小妹 2007-7-2 14:53
Long Hair's invitations to celebrate go up in smoke
Maverick lawmaker "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung received three invitations to functions celebrating the 10th anniversary of the handover, but they all went up in flames. Leung said he burned them because he was barred from several events.
"I've regularly been asked to leave during official events, but outright refusal of entry has never happened before. [Chief Executive] Donald Tsang Yam-kuen is a yes-man who bows to a dictatorship just to save his skin," he said.
Leung, a veteran activist, had a hectic day, leading a handful of protesters from the April Fifth Action Group demanding, among other things, universal suffrage and vindication of the Tiananmen Square protesters. He said he had received three official invitations - to a banquet Saturday to honor President Hu Jintao, the flag-raising, and Tsang's swearing-in ceremonies Sunday morning. But he said a Home Affairs Bureau official had later called him telling him he would be refused entry to those events because he was likely to cause "discomfort" to the guests.
Leung's protest group marched from Southorn Centre in Wan Chai to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre about an hour before Hu was to attend the flag-raising ceremony.
"Hu has failed to get close to the people of Hong Kong. He's out of touch with the true feelings of the public. It's a shameful visit," Leung said.
His group was allowed to protest in a designated area, but they refused because the demonstration would be inconspicuous. "The designated area was too far from the public eye. We were deprived of our right to protest," Leung said. The marchers halted outside Immigration Tower and were surrounded by scores of police officers. They dispersed after an hour.
The demonstrators shouted "Down with the government" and "Power to the people" as police looked on. They carried a black funeral plaque and a red lacquered coffin covered with slogans calling for an end to one-party rule and greater democracy for Hong Kong. Other banners urged Hong Kong people not to forget the Tiananmen massacre and called on the government to allow universal suffrage.
Leung said Hu's strong police escort showed how distant he was from the people.
About the same time, activists from Falun Gong - the sect banned in the mainland - staged a protest outside Wanchai Tower on Harbour Road.
The demonstration was monitored by a small group of police, and ended at 10am without incident.
