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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》Pro-democracy legislators to resign ‘en masse’ in HK
Hong Kong’s pro-democracy lawmakers join hands at the start of a news conference in a Legislative Council office yesterday to announce their decision to resign today. Photo: Reuters
‘RUTHLESS MOVE’: The announcement comes after four lawmakers were disqualified, with Carrie Lam saying the Legislative Council needs to be composed of patriots
/ AP, HONG KONG
Hong Kong’s pro-democracy lawmakers yesterday announced that they would resign en masse today after four of them were ousted from the Legislative Council （LegCo） in a move one legislator said could sound the “death knell” for democracy in the territory.
The resignation of the 15 remaining pro-democracy lawmakers is likely to ratchet up tensions over the future of Hong Kong after new national security legislation imposed by Beijing this year alarmed the international community.
The mass departure would also leave the LegCo with only pro-Beijing lawmakers, who already made up a majority, but can now pass bills favored by Beijing without much opposition.
The lawmakers told a news conference that they would submit their letters of resignation today.
The announcement came hours after the Hong Kong government said that it was disqualifying the four legislators — Alvin Yeung （楊岳橋）, Dennis Kwok （郭榮鏗）, Kwok Ka-ki （郭家麒） and Kenneth Leung （梁繼昌）.
The disqualifications came after China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee this week passed a resolution saying that any lawmaker who supports Hong Kong’s independence, refuses to acknowledge China’s sovereignty over the territory, threatens national security or asks external forces to interfere in the territory’s affairs should be disqualified.
“Today we will resign from our positions because our partners, our colleagues have been disqualified by the central government’s ruthless move,” Democratic Party Chairman Wu Chi-wai （胡志偉） told reporters.
During the news conference, the lawmakers held hands and chanted: “Hong Kong add oil. Together we stand.”
The phrase “add oil” is a direct translation of jia you （加油, an expression of encouragement）.
“This is an actual act by Beijing ... to sound the death knell of Hong Kong’s democracy fight because they would think that, from now on, anyone they found to be politically incorrect or unpatriotic or are simply not likable to look at, they could just oust you using any means,” lawmaker Claudia Mo （毛孟靜） told reporters.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam （林鄭月娥） defended the lawmakers’ removal, telling reporters that the territory needs a body comprised of patriots.
“We cannot allow members of the Legislative Council who have been judged in accordance with the law to be unable to fulfill the requirements and prerequisites for serving on the Legislative Council to continue to operate in the Legislative Council,” Lam said.
British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Dominic Raab called the decision to oust the lawmakers “a further assault on Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy and freedoms.”
“This campaign to harass, stifle and disqualify democratic opposition tarnishes China’s international reputation and undermines Hong Kong’s long-term stability,” he added.
Additional reporting by AFP
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
