HK officials should oppose occupy central
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E-mail CRI, July 30, 2014
Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung is calling on officials in the region to oppose the Occupy Central movement.
![Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung. [File photo / Xinhua]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20140730/7427ea210acc1542864001.jpg "Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung. [File photo / Xinhua]") |
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Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung. [File photo / Xinhua] |
He's also voicing support for a petition against the movement, which has collected nearly one million signatures so far.
CRI's Cao Yuwei has more.
CY Leung says the Occupy Central movement's action is unlawful, adding that he and other government officials can not condone such behavior.
He made the remark before Tuesday's Executive Council meeting.
His comment comes on the heels of more supporters joining a campaign against the Occupy Central movement.
Leung himself also voiced his support earlier this week.
A number of senior Hong Kong officials had signed the petition, including Secretary for Home Affairs Tsang Tak-sing, Secretary for Food and Health Ko Wing-man, and Secretary for Education Eddie Ng.
The Chief Executive says it is a personal decision for officials to participate in the signature campaign, which was launched by the Alliance for Peace and Democracy.
According to the organizer Zhou Rong, the alliance has collected over 9 hundred thousand signatures so far.
"It is quite obvious that Hong Kong people want peace and support universal suffrage. They won't threaten or force the government or any other parties to listen to one single voice. We should listen to the will of the people. And we won't support any action that goes against the Basic Law."
Besides common residents and political figures, more business professionals have joined the campaign against Occupy Central, worrying that the movement will bring negative economic effects to the financial hub.
A survey conducted by the Hong Kong Bank Employees Association showed that more than 60 percent of the respondents believed the protracted move of Occupy Central would paralyze the territory's financial center, disrupt the operation of banks, or even cause layoffs.
Some financial research institute even put the direct losses at about 650 million U.S. dollars if the campaign lasts for three days.
On Monday, the five leading business chambers in Hong Kong formed a united front to oppose Occupy Central.
Yang Zhao is chairman of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce.
"It will affect health service, education, and other sectors. We can see that it also harms Hong Kong's image. Everybody should consider the losses it can bring to Hong Kong's tourism industry."
Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce chairman Pang Yiu-kai says tourists are concerned about safety and it is "almost certain" Occupy Central's action will deter them from visiting.
According to Chief Executive CY Leung, the second round of public consultations on constitutional reform will be conducted by the end of this year.
Consultation details will be defined by the National People's Congress Standing Committee in August, when they are due to decide whether there is a need to amend the method for selecting the chief executive.
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