Pro-Democracy Camp Postpones New Year's Rallies to Aid Tsunami Victims

Strategic Insights -

The pro-democracy camp in Hong Kong has decided to postpone a series of rallies on New Year's Day to prioritize fund-raising efforts for victims of the tsunami disaster in Thailand. The preliminary decision was made after an emergency meeting, with Democratic Party chairman Lee Wing-tat stating that the humanitarian aid operation takes top priority. The group plans to use January 1 to organize a massive fund-raising campaign to help the victims, responding to public demands for assistance.

Key Takeaways:

  • The pro-democracy camp plans to postpone three separate marches, originally scheduled for New Year's Day, to aid the tsunami relief operation in Thailand.
  • The group has decided to prioritize fund-raising efforts and has set a new date for the rallies on January 16.
  • The marches, which were also aimed at protesting against collusion between officials and businessmen, will now focus on calls for universal suffrage, better labour rights, and the elimination of poverty.
  • The decision to postpone the rallies was met with a mixture of responses, with some groups, such as the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Industry Staff Union, welcoming the decision.
  • Legislator "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung will go ahead with his planned rally, stating it was too late to call it off.
  • The rival rally, organized by stockbrokers and involving the Liberal Party and the Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong, will still proceed as planned.

Statistics:

  • Three separate marches were planned by the pro-democracy camp for New Year's Day.
  • The marches were aimed at protesting against collusion between officials and businessmen, as well as demanding universal suffrage, better labour rights, and the elimination of poverty.
  • The new date for the rallies has been set for January 16.
  • The fund-raising campaign will be held on January 1 to aid the tsunami relief operation in Thailand.
  • Legislator "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung has stated that his planned rally will still go ahead despite the postponement of the other rallies.

Sources:

  • [1] "Democrat Leaders Ponder Tsunami Relief Efforts", N/A, [Source: SCMP (South China Morning Post)]