Rule of law will prevail
Updated: 2014-12-10 08:03
By Staff Writer(HK Edition)
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A court injunction against road barricades set up by "Occupy Central" protesters around government headquarters in Admiralty was posted in the occupied area on Tuesday, after enforcement received High Court approval the day before. The injunction authorizes bailiffs to seek police assistance if enforcement of the injunction obstructed.
Enforcement of the latest injunction is expected on Thursday morning, after a similar court order was carried out in Mong Kok late last month. This is further proof the authorities are determined to maintain the rule of law in the SAR, as expected and demanded by the great majority of Hong Kong residents. It is highly likely a court injunction will also be issued soon to restore normal traffic in Causeway Bay.
The "Occupy" movement has modified its tactics since its Mong Kok roadblocks were removed in accordance with a High Court injunction. Some of its participants have recently been harassing local Mong Kok businesses and consumers in an illegal tactic they call "operation cuckoo", in which small groups of troublemakers disrupt normal business activities along streets they had occupied for over a month.
It has been revealed that some of the perpetrators are members of radical groups who specialize in violations of the Public Order Ordinance. Others are believed to be linked to suspected organized crime gangs.
Call it cat and mouse games or guerrilla warfare. Such blatant criminal acts undoubtedly pose serious challenges for police in addition to the static illegal occupation of major thoroughfares in busy shopping areas.
However, they also demonstrate that the "Occupy" movement is further alienating itself from the majority of local residents, and drawing even stronger condemnation. This is yet another reason for the authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The illegal campaign still brandishes the misleading banner of "civil disobedience" to cater to biased press and ill-intentioned commentators. It has now turned itself into a pariah, and ultimately given itself a death sentence.
Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said earlier this week the enforcement of a court order to clear away the remaining roadblocks is expected to run into "furious resistance" from the occupiers. Leung is nevertheless confident that the rule of law and justice will prevail. The great majority of Hong Kong residents will wholeheartedly support such efforts because they are in the best interests of the city.
(HK Edition 12/10/2014 page1)