Hong Kong Legislature passes contentious national anthem bill
Jun 04, 2020
Hong Kong, June 4 : The Hong Kong Legislature on Thursday passed its contentious national anthem bill with 41 in favour and one against.
Hong Kong's legislature was successful in passing the bill despite attempts by opposition lawmakers to disrupt the proceedings.
The Legislative Council voted 41 to one for the legislation after a foul-smelling liquid was twice released in the chamber. Besides one, the whole of the Democratic Party stood up and abstained from voting in protest, South China Morning Post reported.
Under the bill, a person found guilty of misusing or insulting the national anthem could be fined up to HK$50,000 (US$ 6,450) and jailed for three years.
About 1 pm, Raymond Chan Chi-chuen of the Democratic Party emptied a bottle of brown-coloured liquid, forcing a suspension of the debate as the duo was forcibly removed by security guards.
With the resumption of the meeting after three hours, another Democratic Party lawmaker Ted Hui Chi-fung dropped another bottle of foul-smelling liquid on the ground in another attempt to stall the proceedings.
However, all attempts fell flat as Legco president Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen cut the debate short and put the bill to a vote.
Meanwhile, the Hong Kong citizens defied the police ban to mark the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown by holding a memorial vigil.
