Petition against democracy movement in Hong Kong collects more than 1.8 million signatures

Chefs chant slogans as they take part in an anti-Occupy Central protest, against the civil disobedience movement which has been affecting their livelihood, in Hong Kong, on Nov 3, 2014. -- PHOTO: REUTERS 
Chefs chant slogans as they take part in an anti-Occupy Central protest, against the civil disobedience movement which has been affecting their livelihood, in Hong Kong, on Nov 3, 2014. -- PHOTO: REUTERS 

HONG HONG - A group that is against the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong has collected more than 1.83 million signatures from Hong Kong citizens opposing the mass protests.

Representatives of the Alliance for Peace and Democracy submitted the unprecedented petition against the Occupy Central movement to Chief Secretary Carrie Lam at the government headquarters in Tamar on Monday night, Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday.

Ms Lam said the Hong Kong government will not let the Occupy Central movement drag on, and will examine the situation and take action to resolve the problem at the right time, according to Xinhua.

The nine-day signature collection started on Oct 25 and ended on Nov 2. Among the signatures, around 1.34 million were collected on the streets, with the rest coming from online.

Mr Robert Chow, spokesman for the Alliance for Peace and Democracy, said the signatures reflected mainstream public opinion and people's strong support for police action to enforce the law and to return the roads to the citizens, according to Xinhua.

Another spokesman, Mr Stanley Ng, said the majority have stated they want public order and the rule of law restored.

Parts of the city were paralysed for nearly a month by road blocks calling on Beijing to rescind its insistence that Hong Kong's next leader be vetted by a select committee ahead of the 2017 elections.

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