> A S I A A10

Volcano horrorSearch for

survivors asdeath toll

tops 30

CIA StarbucksGetting a coffeeis not so simplean operation atthe agency’sheadquarters

> W O R L D A1 2

Quake watchGeologists mapactive faults in 50 provincialcapitals andmajor cities

> C H I N A A 8

Swimming lessonRare chance forHK performersto face world’sbest in VictoriaPark pool

> S P O R T B AC K PAG E

Monday, September 29, 2014 / See live updates at www.scmp.com / HK$9PUBLISHED SINCE 1903 / VOLUME LXX / NO 270

Anti-Asian activist firedfor using fake IDsA critic of Asian immigration inCanada has been fired from theanti-multicultural group hehelped found after the Postrevealed he used fake identitiesto support his campaign against“pro-multicultural, ethnocentriccandidates running our largestcities”. This was a reference totwo Hong Kong emigrantsrunning for mayor in Torontoand Vancouver. > WORLD A11

Competition bodyleaves firms guessing

The Competition Commissionin charge of investigatingmonopolies will not produce afigure to define at what point acompany is deemed to have asubstantial share of marketpower. Two years ago it wassuggested that a 40 per centmarket share would be deemedsubstantial. But commissionchairwoman Anna Wu Hung-yuk said market power would beassessed case by case. > CITY C1

Russian banks plan dim sum bonds in HK

At least four Russian banks willissue up to 2.5 billion yuan(HK$3.1billion) in dim sumbonds in Hong Kong by earlynext year, as Western sanctionsaccelerate a switch by thecountry’s lenders from USdollars. > BUSINESS B1

DIGEST

Beijing said it was lifting restric-tions on foreign investments inseveral industries, such as theshipping sector, in Shanghai’sfree-trade zone, a day before themuch-hyped “mini Hong Kong”its first year in business.

The policy change followsPremier Li Keqiang’s statement this month that mar-ket forces would be allowed toplay a dominant role in the FTZ,touted as a testing ground forsweeping reforms.

According to a circular to min-istries and provincial govern-ments from the State Council,more than 20 sectors are to beopened up to overseas investorsin the FTZ.

For the first time, they will beallowed to own a controllingstake in joint-venture shippingagencies, with the investmentcap raised from 49 to 51per cent.

Foreign investors will also beallowed to engage in salt whole-saling in the 29 sq km zone. Thetrade has so far been treated as vi-tally important to the economy,and thus controlled only by do-mestic authorities and licensedstate-owned firms.

“Liberalisation of the ship-ping-agency sector has been dis-cussed for more than a decade,”said Xiong Hao, assistant generalmanager at Shanghai Jump Inter-national Shipping.

Shipping is a lucrative busi-ness, and industry officials saidraising the cap would encouragethe world’s biggest shipping linesto expand in China, as they couldnow directly tap the boomingbusiness at the Yangshan deep-water port, which is part of theFTZ.

The new measures also in-clude lifting of some restrictionsin the manufacturing sector,such as on motorcycles, aviationengine parts and railway-bridgeand station equipment, alsoaimed at wooing foreign inves-tors to the zone.

But analysts said the moves

were more symbolic than sub-stantive, as it would still be diffi-cult for foreign firms in the listedsectors to set up shop in the FTZbecause of its limited size.

The FTZ has been greetedwith suspicion in some quartersever since its inception last Sep-tember, as China has failed to de-liver on its promise of large-scalederegulation and free yuan con-vertibility under the capital ac-count in the zone.

As a result, newly registeredforeign businesses, excludingthose from Hong Kong, accountfor only about 5 per cent of thetotal at the FTZ.

In July, the Shanghai munici-pality unveiled an upgraded ver-sion of the zone’s “negative list” –sectors off-limits to foreign inves-tors – with the number of itemson the list cut from 190 to 139.

Though sold as a major break-through, Gong Baihua, a law pro-fessor at Fudan University, hadsaid the list still lacked transpar-ency and clarity.

“The central government’scircular carries a loud messagethat the reforms in the ShanghaiFTZ could be expanded now thatthe top authorities have en-dorsed Shanghai’s pioneeringmoves,” said Xu Mingqi, a re-searcher at the Shanghai Acad-emy of Social Sciences. “Theleadership’s determinations todeepen reforms through the FTZhave been made clear.”

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Daniel Ren in Shanghairen.wei@scmp.com

Lucrative shipping sector will be more open toforeign investors in year-old ‘mini Hong Kong’

Beijing loosens rules forShanghai free-trade zone

FOREIGN INVESTMENT

Restrictions will also be easedon the rail sector. Photo: AP

The streets of Central and Admi-ralty descended into chaos lastnight after police in riot gear firedtear gas at protesters as the Occu-py Central campaign, a move-ment that promised “peace andlove”, escalated.

By midnight there was littlesign of the mass protest ending.Thousands of protesters, despitepolice use of pepper spray,batons and tear gas, occupied themain roads outside the govern-ment headquarters complex inAdmiralty. Many joined in afterhearing of the confrontationfrom the media, and a smallerblockade began late last night inCauseway Bay, while hundredsoccupied a section of NathanRoad in Mong Kok.

But Occupy co-organiser DrChan Kin-man urged the protest-

ers to retreat. “It is a matter of lifeand death … Retreating does notmean giving up … Occupy Cen-tral has succeeded as long as thespirit of democracy never dies.”

He said it was time to plan thenext step of the campaign.

Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun,who supports the Occupy Cen-tral campaign, said: “We do notwant to see anyone get hurt.”

Images of officers carryingshotguns, wearing gas masks andchasing protesters in the streetsof one of the world’s safestmetropolises shocked millionswatching around the world.

With traffic and public trans-port in Central and Admiralty at astandstill, there were doubts as towhether the financial centrewould open for business today.

Protesters vowed to escalatetheir action and student leadersurged workers to strike and shopsto close. They said they would

boycott classes until Chief Execu-tive Leung Chun-ying resignedand Beijing gave “genuine uni-versal suffrage” to Hong Kong.

The Professional Teachers’Union, which has 90,000 mem-bers, and the pro-democracyConfederation of Trade Unionsechoed the call for strikes.

On the other side, the author-ities in Hong Kong and Beijingcondemned the protests as illegal

and promised firm action. AHong Kong government spokes-man last night urged OccupyCentral co-organiser Benny TaiYiu-ting to honour his earlierpromise and end the protest forthe sake of Hong Kong’s interestsand the safety of participants.

Organisers had always saidthe movement would be peace-ful. Tai said last month he wouldstop the protests if there was vio-lence. Tai, a University of HongKong law scholar, admitted thecampaign was out of control.

“Nobody can stop the protestnow. They may only stop if CYLeung steps down,” he said.

The last time police had firedtear gas was during the 2005 anti-globalisation protests. Then, theHong Kong public were largelyspectators as officers battled mili-tant South Korean protestersduring a World Trade Organisa-tion ministerial conference.

This time, the city’s policewere pitted against young, localprotesters. The scenes left Hong-kongers traumatised and shell-

shocked. One protester, 13-year-old Matthew Chau, said: “I can’tbelieve police would resort to teargas … My eyes hurt so bad.”

Police chief Andy Tsang Wai-hung defended the use of teargas, saying police had a responsi-bility to “resume social order”.

As emotions ran high, wildrumours circulated. Someclaimed officers fired rubberbullets at the crowd and that thePLA had been deployed to putdown the demonstration.

Agovernment spokesman de-nied the rumours and said HongKong did not ask the PLA for help.

Scholarism convenor JoshuaWong Chi-fung and other stu-dent leaders were released lastnight after being detained for

about 40 hours. At least 78 people– including three pan-democratlawmakers – were arrested and 26people were taken to hospital.

Occupy leaders announcedthe immediate launch of thelong-planned civil disobediencecampaign in the early hours ofyesterday. The decision wasspurred by clashes at govern-ment headquarters between po-lice and students.

The protests were triggered byBeijing’s ruling last month thatHong Kong would be able to useone man, one vote to elect thechief executive in 2017, but onlytwo or three candidates couldrun and they would need major-ity support from a nominatingcommittee.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Staff Reporters

Police in riot gear fire tear gas at Occupy Central protesters in Connaught Road Central, Admiralty. Yesterday was the first time tear gas had been deployed by Hong Kong police since 2005. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Union leaders call for strikes as police defend hard-line response andBenny Tai admits protest movement’s leaders are not in control

TEAR GAS FIRED AS THOUSANDS JOIN OCCUPY

POLITICS

Nobody can stopthe protest now.They may onlystop if CY Leungsteps downOCCUPY CO-ORGANISER BENNY TAI

Shock, then anger A3

How Occupy leaderslost grip A3

Clear choice: Silenceor freedom? A4

‘Beijing must beprudent’ A4

C.Y. speaks out A5

Harry’s view A14

Insight A15

Mini-Tiananmen worries C1

Go to scmp.com for updates

INSIDE

A plan that went astray

20142013

SCMP

September 28Benny Tai announces the start of Occupy Central hours after students stormed Civic Square at the Admiralty government headquarters. Police try disperse the crowd with tear gas, but roads in Admiralty, Mong Kok and Causeway Bay are occupied.

October 26Students indicate they are not keen on further dialogue with officials after a televised meeting a week earlier fails to bear any fruit, but Occupy founders and pan-democrats urge them to continue the talks.

October 31Democratic Party expresses reservation on the students’ idea of triggering a de facto referendum by lawmakers’ resignation.

November 15Three Federation of Students representatives have their home return permits invalidated as they try take a flight to Beijing to seek a meeting with state leaders. Their trip was not encouraged by Occupy founders and most pan-democrats.

November 22Radical protesters stage a demonstration against the Occupy movement leadership in Admiralty.

December 1Pan-democratic lawmakers call on student leaders to halt the attempt to blockade the government headquarters after violent clashes the night before.Three Scholarism members go on hunger strike, but Federation of Students decides not to join.

November 19A group of protesters stormed the Legislative Council building overnight. Occupy founders, student leaders and pan-democratic lawmakers either condemn or distance themselves from the group.

October 9Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun says student leaders are “foolish” and they have hijacked the Occupy movement with hardline approach, urging them to retreat.

December 2 Occupy trio announce they will turn themselves in to police today (Dec 3)

Stance onsurrender/retreat

Three Occupy founders surrender

to police today

Pan-democratic parties let

members decide for themselves

Students wait to be arrested

rather than turn themselves in to

police

20000000000000000000001111111111111111111112013

November 20Apple Daily’s owner Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, who has said he supported Occupy movement with his paper, urges protesters to consider retreating.

6 Jan 2013Benny Tai Yiu-ting floats his idea of Occupy Central in his article in the HK Economic Journal

When University of Hong Konglegal scholar Benny Tai Yiu-tingpenned his thoughts in a weeklycolumn for the Hong Kong Eco-nomic Journal, he expected fewreaders to pay heed to it.

In the January 16, 2013 article,entitled “Civil disobedience is themost powerful weapon”, Tairaised the idea of mobilising10,000 people to block roads inthe financial heart of the cityshould the central and local gov-ernments create a system for the2017 chief executive election thatdid not allow a “genuine” choiceof candidates.

To his pleasant surprise, thearticle caught on in the publicsphere, laying the groundworkfor turning his blueprint into apopular movement.

But today, the Occupy Centralprotests that Tai launched withconviction on September 28 havedeviated markedly from his script– in ways that he and his two co-founders had not imagined intheir wildest dreams.

The original plan was to campon Chater Road in Central forthree days from October 1, theNational Day holiday. In earlySeptember, Tai said they wouldact on a date that “would causethe minimal damage to HongKong’s economy”.

He also pledged to keep thecampaign away from residentialdistricts to avoid harmingpeople’s livelihoods.

The first indication that thingsmight get tricky was when mem-bers of the Federation of Studentsand pupil-led protest groupScholarism barged into a fore-court at government headquar-ters in Admiralty on September26, irate at being denied a rally atnearby Tamar Park in favour of apro-Beijing event.

The area, known as CivicSquare, had been a popular pro-test venue until it was fenced off.Scholarism convenor JoshuaWong Chi-fung and several fed-eration leaders were arrested,prompting people from all walksof life to gather at the scene insupport of them.

Despite the sudden turn ofevents, Tai and his fellow Occupyorganisers, Dr Chan Kin-manand the Reverend Chu Yiu-ming,initially rejected pressure to starttheir campaign immediately.

Student activists insisted,however, and the Occupy trioagreed the “era of civil disobedi-ence” had begun.

Noting that 80 per cent of pro-testers flocking to the main sit-insite of Admiralty were young, thetrio acknowledged the student-led nature of the movement andpositioned themselves as facilita-tors and “service leaders”.

But the shift in leadership leftthe campaign less organised thanplanned. In its early days, a rift emerged between Occupyorganisers and the student lead-ers and concerns were arisingthat the protests could spin out ofcontrol.

Since early October, theOccupy trio have been suggest-ing that students consider givingup their sites, noting a growingbacklash from non-participantsaffected by the occupation.

But student leaders believed itwould be inappropriate to dis-

perse the crowds before the gov-ernment made any concessionon Beijing’s strict framework forthe 2017 vote.

The occupation wore on, andthe patience of Hongkongerswore thin.

Two weeks ago, Chan againurged protesters to consider end-ing their road blockades and refo-cus instead on winning long-term support from the public.

Yesterday, Chan and his twoco-founders renewed that call asthey announced they would turnthemselves in to police today.

Tai said the form of civil dis-obedience they envisaged hadchanged.

The love and peace that Occu-py stood for was overshadowedby an “umbrella movement” thatearned its name from dramaticscenes of protesters wielding um-brellas to fend off police tear gasand pepper spray.

“The absolute majority of par-ticipants in the protests stilladhere to the principle of non-violence,” Tai insisted.

He spoke after overnightclashes late on Sunday and earlyon Monday, during which pro-testers wearing hard hats andprotective masks massed aroundgovernment headquarters andcharged police lines – afterstudent groups called on them to surround the offices. The gov-ernment strongly condemnedScholarism and the federation.

“When violence erupts, nomatter who started it, it is time toconsider the transformation ofthe movement,” Tai said.

But he said the governmentwas to blame for the violencebecause of its failure to respondto protesters’ demands.

Dr Ma Ngok, head of ChineseUniversity’s department of gov-ernment and public administra-tion, said the very nature of amass movement made it difficultto proceed as planned.

“Without the Occupy leaders’promotion of the civil disobedi-ence concept, the ‘umbrellamovement’ would not have hap-pened,” Ma said. “But it was notcompletely unimaginable thatthe protests would veer fromtheir original expectations.”

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gary Cheung and Jeffie Lam

When violenceerupts, it is timeto consider thetransformationof the movementOCCUPY CO-FOUNDER BENNY TAI

Occupy Central co-founder ChanKin-man. Photo: Sam Tsang

Benny Tai planned to launch action in Central,but young protesters ended up taking control inAdmiralty and setting up three different camps

A4 Wednesday, December 3, 2014

OCCUPY CENTRAL – DAY 66

They could be let off with a slapon the wrist or be thrown behindbars for years. As the trio whocame up with the Occupy Centralcivil disobedience idea turnthemselves in to the police today,legal eagles differ over the sever-ity of their likely punishment.

Ex-director of public prosecu-tions Grenville Cross raised thepossibility of a five-year jail term,the maximum for organising anunauthorised assembly underthe Public Order Ordinance.

But Eric Cheung Tat-ming, a

University of Hong Kong princi-pal law lecturer, said the facts didnot support convicting Benny TaiYiu-ting, Dr Chan Kin-man andthe Reverend Chu Yiu-ming oforganising such an assembly. Ifthey were just participants in anunauthorised assembly – some-thing Tai said yesterday theywere prepared to admit to – a finewould be the norm, Cheung said.

HKU law professor SimonYoung said the trio’s trip to thepolice station “will be like walk-ing into a lion’s den”. “They maythink they will only face minorcharges … but the joint enter-prise principle could result inmore serious criminal liability.”

Cross said the more seriousoffence of organising, with thefive-year maximum, was possi-ble, depending on what they in-tended to confess. “This maxi-mum shows that, in the mostserious cases, the legislatureclearly intended that offenderscan receive condign punish-

ment,” Cross told the Post. “I donot think that anyone could seri-ously deny that the unauthorisedassemblies we have seen on ourstreets over the past two monthsrepresent, in terms of scale, dura-tion and consequences, a worst-possible-case scenario.”

He noted that the trio did nothide themselves, meaning thepolice could have arrested themearlier but decided not to.

“If the trio hope that by sur-rendering themselves they cansomehow force the hands of theauthorities, they may be sorelymistaken,” Cross said.

But Cheung noted the trio didno more than announce the startof the campaign. Several hourslater they called on people toleave the rally after police usedtear gas. “To be honest, therewasn’t much organisation ontheir part, if any,” he said.

His view appeared to be borneout by protesters who said theOccupy trio did not representthem. “It is only Tai’s personalview,” said hospital ward assis-tant Polly Lui on the idea of sur-rendering. She said she had nointention of turning herself in.

Renovation worker Sam Choi,30, agreed, saying: “The policehave been abusing their power.”

Cheung said that if the policearrested the Occupy trio, therewas no reason to refuse bail. Thesentence should range from afine to a short time in jail, he said.

The fact police never cor-doned off the sit-in zones meantit would be legally impossible todistinguish between an onlookerand someone who intended tobreak the law, he added.

Joining the trio to surrendertoday are Cardinal Joseph ZenZe-kiun, diehard supporter andBaptist University lecturer ShiuKa-chun, social worker andfounder of minority rights groupUnison Fermi Wong Wai-fun,and nine Democratic Partymembers including formerchairman Dr Yeung Sum and ex-lawmaker Cheung Man-kwong.

A judiciary spokeswoman, onhandling a potentially large num-ber of cases, said: “Appropriatearrangements will be made.”

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Stuart Lau, Jeffie Lam and Chris Lau

Surrender of Benny Tai and partners raises thequestion: how should they be punished?

Jail or fine? Trio’s penalty hinges on actual roles

To be honest,there wasn’tmuchorganisation ontheir part, if anyERIC CHEUNG, HKU LAW LECTURER

Scholarism convenor JoshuaWong Chi-fung has rejected sug-gestions that his hunger strikeplan has caused a split with theFederation of Students.

Wong said the move was partof a two-pronged strategy and thefederation was responsible forother aspects of the movement.

Asked if there was a rift, Wongsaid: “Of course not. You can seethat our friends at the federationare mainly in charge of escalatingaction. As for the hunger strike,Scholarism is in charge.”

Wong said his group had dis-cussed the plan with the federa-tion before announcing it onMonday night. But federationsecretary general Alex ChowYong-kang told Apple Daily yes-terday he had not been aware ofwhen it would be announced.

Chow told the Post his groupdecided not to join the hungerstrike as “it may not be an effec-tive way to pursue a dialogue withthe government”. They would in-stead preserve their energy and

resources for community work.Wong said his group – which rep-resents secondary school pupils –took on the hunger strike as theolder students in the federationwere better able to endure the rig-ours of frontline protest. “It’s a di-vision of labour,” he said.

Wong made the commentshours after he announced onMonday night that three Schol-arism members – himself, PrinceWong Ji-yuet and Isabella Lo Yin-wai – would begin an indefinitehunger strike.

Prince Wong, 17, who has

been a Scholarism member fortwo years, attends InternationalChristian Quality Music Second-ary School, while Lo, 18, who hasbeen with the group for half ayear, goes to Baptist University.Joshua Wong, 18, was admitted toOpen University in September.

The trio are having two check-ups per day and will drink onlywater – unless told otherwise bydoctors, who might ask them toconsume a glucose solution iftheir health deteriorates. Thehunger strike is aimed at pressingthe government to enter into fur-ther dialogue and “reboot” thepolitical reform process.

In response, Chief ExecutiveLeung Chun-ying urged studentsto take care of their health.

But Wong said: “Instead ofasking us to take care of our bod-ies, he should have taken heed ofour request to meet with officials.

“I just hope that Leung andChief Secretary Carrie LamCheng Yuet-ngor, instead of ex-pressing concern, seriously con-sider starting a dialogue.”

The three co-founders of Occupy Central – Benny Tai Yiu-ting, Dr Chan Kin-man and theReverend Chu Yiu-ming, whoyesterday announced their planto hand themselves in to policetoday – urged the students to calloff their hunger strike. The stu-dents said the trio should urge thegovernment to start a dialoguewith them instead.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Chris Lauchris.lau@scmp.com

There is no rift over hunger strike: Joshua Wong

Isabella Lo (left), Prince Wong and Joshua Wong speak to the media yesterday. Photo: Reuters

… scrutinising Hong Kong maysend the wrong signals to the fig-ures of Occupy Central,” China’sdeputy ambassador to Britain, NiJian, said to Ottaway in justifyingthe ban. “Also, it shows some en-couragement for illegal actions.”

Foreign ministry spokes-woman Hua Chunying said in Beijing yesterday that avisit by MPs would be “unreason-able and useless”.

Professor Johannes ChanMan-mun, a former dean of lawat the University of Hong Kong,questioned Beijing’s move.

While China had the right todeny entry to any visitor to HongKong, he said Beijing “cannotbrush aside the Joint Declarationas if it does not exist or has nolegal effect”.

“Under the Joint Declaration,China agreed with the UK that itwould honour its promises onHong Kong for 50 years from1997. Thus, the UK has a contrac-tual interest to ensure that suchpromises are carried out.”

The US weighed in on Mon-day. “We hope the members ofParliament will be able to travelfreely, as they wish,” the StateDepartment’s Jen Psaki said.

“As a cosignatory, the UnitedKingdom has a legal interest anda moral obligation for the moni-toring and implementation ofthat treaty,” Swire said. “It is vitalit is fully upheld.”

British lawmaker RichardGraham, who was refused a visato China last week, revealed toParliament he received an angryletter from ambassador LiuXiaoming warning himnot to support illegal activitiessuch as Occupy Central, after heheld a debate about Hong Kong.

The committee said it “willpostpone its visit to Hong Kongbut will continue to take oral evi-dence” as the inquiry continues.

“The committee’s delegation

British lawmakers vowed to con-tinue their inquiry into HongKong, but were forced to post-pone a trip to the city after Beijingbarred the delegation over fearsthe visit might send the “wrongsignals” to protesters.

The move by Beijing – with adeputy ambassador to Britain de-claring a “100 per cent” chance ofrefused entry for the eight MPs –was questioned in London andWashington.

Beijing and London signedthe Sino-British Joint Declarationin 1984, setting out the terms ofHong Kong’s return to Chinesesovereignty in 1997.

The chairman of Britain’s For-eign Affairs Committee, RichardOttaway, told Parliament in anemergency debate that China’saction amounted “to saying theJoint Declaration is null andvoid”, and might affect Sino-Brit-ish relations.

The minister responsible forHong Kong affairs, Hugo Swire,told MPs the ban was “not in thespirit of the Sino-British JointDeclaration”.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Danny Lee and Stuart Lau

Barred MPs vow to continue inquiry

50The number of years after1997 that the Sino-BritishJoint Declaration is valid

A4 Monday, November 3, 2014

OCCUPY CENTRAL – DAY 36

In the early days of the Occupymovement, elegantly dressed of-fice ladies in Admiralty wishing tojoin protesters had a problem.

Unless someone was aroundto help, the 60cm barriers sur-rounding the occupied sites werea near-insurmountable obstaclefor anyone wearing a tight skirt.

Not any more. In an exampleof the numerous ways the sitesand the lives of people at themhave evolved to meet needs, im-provised staircases made fromscrap wood now provide accessat regular intervals.

The creator of the steps is re-tired garment-factory managerChan Wing-fai. Chan gets upearly almost every morning tosalvage wood from a refuse sta-tion near his home in Lai King.

“I have never picked up trashbefore, nor did I think I wouldever do it,” the 68-year-old said inAdmiralty on a recent afternoon,as he coached a group of youngpeople on how to make chairswith discarded furniture.

“Originally I built the stair-cases with boxes of bottled waterbut they were not very durable,”he said. “Then I decided tostrengthen them with planks.”

Across the three protest sitesin Admiralty, Causeway Bay andMong Kok, similar stories arebeing told in a movement that

was planned as a three-day sit-inbut has now passed the one-month mark.

On Harcourt Road, a “studyhall” where class-boycotting stu-dents continue their educationcan now seat 200.

An elderly man named C. L.Chang was the carpenter for thatproject. Like Chan, he carrieddumped boards from Wan Chaito Admiralty every day for a week,which were fashioned into chairsfor students using the studyroom.

“As the study room became anew landmark in Admiralty, peo-ple – and even a restaurant –started sending tables and chairsto us. Furniture stores also sent ussome sample cabinet boards ofhigh quality.”

Opposite the Admiralty Cen-tre railway exit, freelance design-er Pat is managing a newly estab-lished “Freedom Quarter” – twozones that together offer about100 tents for protesters to stayovernight.

Pat barely knew other protest-ers before the police fired the 87canisters of tear gas on Septem-ber 28 that galvanised the protest.Someone invited her to take careof a booth a few nights after she

began camping in HarcourtRoad, and she ended up takingon the role of “tent manager”.

To spend a night in the Free-dom Quarter, protesters mustline up at the booth at 8.30pmand read through a set of guide-lines before checking in.

They are given star stickers fortheir tent, which they have to re-move the next day to indicatethey have left.

“I didn’t have any experienceand I just learned how to do it bitby bit,” Pat said. “I guess it’s just arule of nature. People live ingroups and it’s natural that everyone of them will pick up a differ-ent role and gradually build thecommunity.”

At the less-populated Cause-way Bay site, a library corner of-fers protesters a choice of booksdonated by supporters.

Next to the library corner onYee Woo Street is a white boardthat provides updates on the de-mocracy movement – such as thelatest stances of student leadersand officials – and a timetable forcivic lectures.

“Everyone can write some-thing on the board – there is noleader here,” said an elderly manwho refused to give his name.

The five-odd supply stationson Nathan Road in Mong Kokevolved independently, with themanagers not knowing one an-other. Now they have created agroup on WhatsApp that they useto keep in close communication.

“We will give the group ashout if we are running out of cer-tain types of supplies, and see ifanyone can pass us some,” saidPing Lee, who runs a station op-posite Shantung Street.

The stocks are donated by de-mocracy supporters. Lee puts alist up next to his booth with up-dates about what is needed.

“People just drop the stuff andgo,” Lee said. “There was onetime we received more than 20boxes of bottled water just anhour after we put up a notice.People are very passionate.”

The protest site in Mong Kokis also well-known for its panthe-on of deities installed by protest-ers to guard the barricades,which includes Jesus, Buddhaand war god Kwan Tai.

Student Tony Chan, part of ateam that built the Kwan Taishrine on Mong Kok Road, said itbegan with a picture of the deity,and evolved into a statue andthen the present temple.

They eventually incorporatedthe temple into part of the de-fence line by using bamboo andwooden frames from construc-tion sites.

Mirana May Szeto, an assis-tant professor in the University ofHong Kong’s department ofcomparative literature, said theprotesters had demonstratedthat they treasured the commu-nity they had developed.

“We have very small homesand we value the sharing ofspace,” she said.

“People actually want to stayas long as possible to ensure thesense of community and liveli-hood.”

As the movement passed itsfirst month, protesters under-stood that the community theyhad built would inevitably be de-molished, but hoped the spiritcould remain.

“Hongkongers used to bequite cool to each other, neversaying hello to our neighboursand not even knowing their sur-names after 20 years,” Chan thestaircase man said. “Perhaps thismovement could make a changein everyone.”Additional reporting by Chris Lau

Protesters have built makeshift communitiesat scattered Occupy sites, with tent villages, a study hall for students and even a library

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jeffie Lamjeffie.lam@scmp.com

Neighbourhood spirit

People actuallywant to stay ... to ensure thesense ofcommunity PROFESSOR MIRANA MAY SZETO(PICTURED)

The various sidesof the Occupymovement,including tents,deities, medicalvolunteers,supplies, yellowribbons andmakeshift desks.Photos: Sam Tsang,Nora Tam, FelixWong, K.Y. Cheng,EPA

political party togroom leaders andtake part in publicpolicymaking.

Executive Councilconvenor LamWoon-kwong, whoalso chose not to sign

the first petition, did not respondto inquiries regarding the second.

Wu and Lam are among the 14non-official members of Exco,which assists the chief executivein policymaking. The other 12non-official members all signedthe second petition despite con-cerns the campaign is adding topolitical polarisation in the city.Twelve of the 16 official Excomembers had signed the first.

Both Wu and Lam are knownas moderate voices in Chief Exec-utive Leung Chun-ying’s cabinet.

The most recent petition,which the Alliance started on Oc-tober 25, seeks to “support ourpolice”, “free our roads” and “re-store law and order”, all with thegoal of ending the pro-democra-cy sit-ins, which have paralysedparts of the city for five weeks.

The alliance said its latest ef-

An executive councillor knownfor her liberal views has brokenranks with most members of thegovernment’s policymakingbody by choosing not to sign apetition backing the police andcalling for an end to Occupy Cen-tral protests.

Anna Wu Hung-yuk, chair-woman of the Competition Com-mission and Mandatory Provi-dent Fund Schemes Authority,has now snubbed two petitionsby the Alliance for Peace and De-mocracy, the first launched inJuly and the second in October.

At the time of the first one Wusaid that she would not sign anypetition that dealt with politicalpositions. “My position has notchanged, and as stated the lasttime I do not sign any petition foror against any particular positionwith matters of this type,” Wusaid.

Wu, a solicitor, urged studentsat the helm of the pro-democracyprotests to consider forming a

fort had collected more than 1.5million signatures by Saturday.The campaign ended yesterday.

Executive councillor FannyLaw Fan Chiu-fun said she hadsigned. “For over a month, wehave seen enormous social dis-ruption and economic damageto Hong Kong, and I wish to seean end to the Occupy Movementin a peaceful manner,” she said.

A government spokesmansaid on September 26 that allpolitical appointees, except Sec-retary for Justice Rimsky YuenKwok-keung, would sign theoriginal petition online. Yuenwould not, so as to stay neutral.

Executive councillor CheungChi-kong said the chief executivedid not call on non-official Excomembers to sign.

In 2012, Wu played a key rolein defusing the crisis sparked by agovernment plan for the compul-sory introduction of a nationaleducation curriculum in primaryand secondary schools.

The curriculum was criticisedas being an attempt to brainwashpupils.

The Committee on the Imple-mentation of Moral and NationalEducation, chaired by Wu, rec-ommended in October 2012 thatthe curriculum be shelved.

While vowing to keep an openmind, Wu had some advice forstudent leaders.

“At this point, I hope the stu-dents will consider forming apolitical party as many studentshave a vote. They can groomleaders or be king-makers andactively participate in public pol-icy making,” she said. “Politicalreform and participation in poli-tics is for the long haul.”

She said that just 47 per cent ofthose aged 18 to 20 were regis-tered voters. “Students aged 18and above should register as vot-ers,” she said.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gary Cheung gary.cheung@scmp.com

Anna Wu says she will not sign anything for or against a political issue

Exco member snubs anti-Occupy petition

47%

This percentage of peopleaged 18 to 20 are registeredvoters, according toAnna Wu

Anna Wu:moderate

Zhou Fengsuo, a former studentleader of Beijing’s democracymovement in 1989, has flown infrom the US to offer his supportto Occupy protesters.

“Twenty-five years ago ...the first Hongkonger I knew toldme that he saw hope for Chinain Tiananmen Square. Andtoday, your presence hererepresent the hopes of China’sfuture democracy,” Zhou toldthe crowd in Admiralty lastnight.

“We failed to implementdemocracy in China 25 yearsago, and now we need the youngpeople of Hong Kong to stand upfor their rights.”

Zhou, who had been No 5 onBeijing’s wanted list during theTiananmen movement, said hehad decided to join Hong Kong’s“umbrella movement” afterseeing images of police usingtear gas to disperse protesterson September 28.

He said the Occupy protestresembled the situation inBeijing in 1989, with youngpeople fighting – and sacrificing– to make their dreams ofdemocracy come true.

But he believed the protestwould not suffer the samebloody ending as Hong Kongenjoyed the rule of law, pressfreedom and a modern socialmedia system that allows forswift information flow.

He refused to offer advice tothe student leaders, who he saidhad a better understanding ofthe situation, but heencouraged Hongkongers to usetheir creativity to press themovement forward.

Zhou, who will stay in HongKong for a week, said he wouldcamp overnight with protestersin Admiralty. He also plans tovisit the June 4 memorialmuseum in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Like many Beijing studentactivists, Zhou fled to US andlived in exile after the June 4crackdown with no prospect ofreturning to his motherland.Jeffie Lam

EXILE’S SUPPORT

The group includes teachers,social workers and performers aswell as students.

Tong said Tsang’s case – overwhich seven officers have beensuspended pending investiga-tions – was the tip of the iceberg.

The protesters said theyplanned to seek legal advice.

They said they had contacted28 of the 45 people arrested thatnight, when police used pepperspray to clear the road. Thirteenof these said they had sufferedviolence, of whom 10 said they re-quired hospital treatment.

Several of those arrested saidthey had been resting in TamarPark and were not involved in at-tempts to block Lung Wo Road.

Ken Pang said he was arrestedwhile telling students to retreat.He said officers grabbed him

from behind and punched him inthe chest.

Another punched him in theface and twisted his hand, and hewas kicked as he fell to theground, he said.

“I repeatedly told them I wasleaving the site, but they wentahead anyway,” said Pang. Hesaid police never told him he wasarrested and did not read him hisrights before putting him in thepolice vehicle.

A police spokesman said theforce had an established mecha-nism to deal with complaints andwould look into each complaintin a fair and impartial manner.

As of yesterday, some 1,324complaints had been received inconnection with the protests. Additional reporting by Ng Kang-chung

head by a group of between threeand five officers.

“We are trying very hard to lo-cate video clips from social me-dia, yet all we could find were bitsand pieces,” he said. “The policedeliberately dragged us to a placewhere the press was unable to seebefore they beat us up.”

More Occupy Central protesterslast night claimed they had expe-rienced violence at the hands ofpolice when they were arrested inAdmiralty last month.

About a dozen protesters saidthey had been “bashed” by offi-cers trying to clear Lung Wo Roadon October 15. The arrests hap-pened on the same night thattelevision cameras recorded agroup of officers apparently kick-ing and punching Civic Party ac-tivist Ken Tsang Kin-chiu after hisarrest.

One of the arrested protesters,Issac Tong Pun-yuen, said theyhad been punched, kicked,pulled by the hair and hit on the

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Emily Tsangemily.tsang@scmp.com

More protesters claim they were beaten by police

The group of 13 protesters includes teachers, social workers,performers and students. Photo: Jonathan Wong

The policedragged us towhere the presswas unable to seebefore beating usISSAC TONG PUN-YUEN

> L I F E C 5

Under threatWelfare groups say government

rules are hitting hawker markets

Business breakUniversities onthe mainlandgive studentstime off to starttheir own firms

> N E W S A 3

Movie rowControversygrows in Japanover war filmdirected byAngelina Jolie

> A S I A A14

Friday, December 12, 2014 / See live updates at www.scmp.com / HK$9PUBLISHED SINCE 1903 / VOLUME LXX / NO 344

Illegal detentionprompts probeAuthorities havelaunched aninvestigation after threevillagers and a 10-month-old baby were illegallydetained when a fine forviolating family planningrules was not paid. Theincident in Shandong

province came tolight after a video wasposted online. > CHINA A6

Torture reportreveals enforcerThe US senatecommittee report on theuse of torture by the CIAhas revealed the role oftwo psychologists indevising interrogationtechniques. Theircompany, among the fewidentifiable players in thereport, has been paidmore than US$80million. > WORLD A17

Awards mark 25years of successA quarter of a centuryafter it was launched toboost businessconfidence, the DHL/SCMP Hong KongBusiness Awards arrive asthe city needs similarsupport. But for thewinners themselves, ourspecial report reveals it isa challenge they are eagerto embrace. > INSIDE

Applied Chinesecourses under fireTwo new appliedChinese coursesannounced by theEducation Bureau – forChinese used in serviceindustries and inhospitality professions –are coming under fire foronly steering ethnicminority studentstowards the serviceindustry. > CITY C1

DIGEST

The police ended the main sit-inof the Occupy movement in Admiralty yesterday with the arrest of 247 people, includingpoliticians, student leaders and apop star. Traffic through the area resumed 75 days after the occu-pation started.

However, student leadersvowed to continue their pro-democracy cause in other waysafter Christmas.

Monitored by members of thepolice watchdog and more than200 local and international jour-nalists, the seven-hour police operation proceeded without

any clashes between officers andprotesters, unlike in the clear-ance operation in Mong Kok.

By 11pm, all traffic on Har-court Road had resumed.

Police cordoned off the campalong Harcourt Road at 2.20pm,after court bailiffs cleared theroads covered by an injunctionwhich applied to one-fifth of thearea. By that time, more than 100protesters had started a sit-in onthe road, waiting to be arrested.

Speaking at the sit-in beforehe was arrested, Federation ofStudents secretary general AlexChow Yong-kang said: “I wouldnot say … the movement endswith victory, but I don’t think wehave failed either.”

He expected a “second waveof occupation” would happen inthe coming months, when peo-ple protest at public forums dur-ing the second stage of publicconsultation on political reform.

Other sit-in participants in-cluded Democratic Party found-ing chairman Martin Lee Chu-ming,Apple Daily boss Jimmy LaiChee-ying,Canto-pop singer De-nise Ho Wan-see and nine mem-bers of the federation.

There were also ordinary citi-zens like Au Yeung Siu-hung, 67,who had been protesting in Ad-miralty every day over the pasttwo months. Au said he was thereto “fulfil the spirit of civil disobe-dience by shouldering the legal

consequences” – in the words ofthe three Occupy Central found-ers who turned themselves in topolice last week.

A government spokesmansaid the occupation was a “severeblow to the economy, politics,society and people’s livelihood”.

He expressed “gratitude” tothe police force for their hardwork, while urging the public toabide by the law in expressingtheir views in future. Executivecouncillors made the sameappeal in a joint statement.

Lester Shum, Chow’s deputy,said the clearance would notmark an end to their fight for gen-uine universal suffrage.

“I believe what the govern-ment has lost is not only the sup-port of young people, but alsoHongkongers,” he said as he

gathered with dozens outsideKwai Chung police station lastnight, where the first batch ofthose arrested were being held.

About 7,000 officers were de-ployed in two shifts for the clear-ance operation, and 909 protest-ers who left voluntarily after thearea was sealed off at 2.20pm had

their details taken. A policesource said the remaining Occu-py site in Causeway Bay wouldprobably be cleared next week asthe priority was to make sure thatAdmiralty was not reoccupied.

Some owners of businessesnear the Occupy camp and work-ers affected by traffic jams ex-pressed relief, while worryingthat protesters would return.

Chung Kim-wah, director ofPolytechnic University’s Centrefor Social Policy Studies, saidLeung Chun-ying’s administra-tion would not find governanceeasier despite the end of Occupy,which he added had “torn societyapart”.Danny Lee, Emily Tsang, Phila Siu,Jennifer Ngo, Joyce Ng, Peter So,Alan Yu, Samuel Chan, Clifford Loand Timmy Sung

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Staff Reporters

Police end Admiralty sit-in, but students vow to fight on, predicting a ‘second wave of occupation’

ORDERLY END TO 75 DAYS OF TURMOIL

OCCUPY CENTRAL

I would not say …[it] ends withvictory, but Idon’t think wehave failed eitherALEX CHOW, FEDERATION OF STUDENTS

Workers clear barricades at the Admiralty Occupy site (left) before police officersremove remaining protesters (centre), clearing the way for traffic to resume forthe first time in more than two months. Photos: Felix Wong, Nora Tam, Sam Tsang

China’s top leaders said theywere confident of achieving theirmajor economic goals for thisyear as they laid out a blueprintfor 2015 designed to keep growthsteady while pursuing new in-vestment-led infrastructure andtechnology initiatives.

Wrapping up the three-dayCentral Economic Work Confer-ence yesterday, the leadersvowed to guide a slower butgreener and more sustainable“new normal” growth – but em-phasised rising economic risks.

“The main goals and tasks forthe full year are expected to becompleted relatively well, withthe economy running in a rea-sonable range while positivechanges emerge in economic re-structuring,” a statement issuedthrough Xinhua said.

Analysts widely expect eco-

nomic growth to slow to a 24-year-low of 7.4 per cent this year.Beijing has said it will tolerategrowth a bit slower than the offi-cial target of “about 7.5 per cent”.

The statement did not men-tion any specific growth targetsfor the next year, although gov-ernment think tanks have calledfor lowering it to 7 per cent.

“Chinese authorities will like-ly tolerate a slower growth rate ataround 7 per cent under theframework of ‘new normal’ econ-

omy and will strike a balance be-tween social, environmental, andeconomic targets,” said ANZBank chief Greater China econo-mist Liu Li-Gang.

Stressing the “huge elasticity,potential and room for manoeu-vre” in the economy, the plan-ners added that they expectedthe “new normal” growth to fea-ture more diversified consump-tion as well as new investmentopportunities.

However “the downwardpressures of the economy remainbig”, they said, noting the painsbeing felt from economic adjust-ment in a difficult operating envi-ronment. They also warned riskssuch as high leverage and bub-bles would persist for some time.

The environment’s capacityto support growth, they said, “hasreached or is approaching an up-per limit” after three decades of“development and constructionactivities at high intensity”.

“We expect industrial overca-

pacity to be one of the main rea-sons for an investment slow-down in 2015,” said CCB Interna-tional analysts in a note.

Thomas Byrne, Moody’s headof Asia-Pacific sovereign riskgroup, yesterday warned of risingloan defaults at state enterprises.

The government vowed tomaintain policy stability and en-sure “adequate strength of fiscalpolicy and a proper … monetarypolicy”.

The People’s Bank of Chinasaid in a statement after the con-ference that it would guide“steady, appropriate growth” incredit and money supply. It cutbenchmark interest rates lastmonth to ease soaring real fund-ing costs. Economists widelyexpect more easing.

Policymakers emphasisedthat investment remained key togrowth. Reforms would be quick-ened in areas including adminis-trative approval, price, monopolyindustries, capital markets andprivate banking, they said.

> PBOC ACTION B1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Victoria Ruan in Beijingvictoria.ruan@scmp.com

Beijing likely to tolerate slower rate with higher efficiency

Leaders stress ‘new normal’ growthPOLICY

7.4%

Analysts widely expect themainland’s rate of growthto slow to this level thisyear

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Touch of classYour festiveseason guide to luxury,glamour andcraftsmanship

> S T Y L E M AG A Z I N E