Hong Kong protests: First community dialogue on Sept 26; no umbrellas, loudhailers allowed

HONG KONG - Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam and some of her principal officials will meet members of the public at the first community dialogue session next Thursday (Sept 26), as she tries to engage the people amid the ongoing anti-government protests.

Participants of the dialogue must behave in an orderly manner and they are not allowed to bring along many items, including umbrellas and loudhailers, the government said in a statement on Thursday (Sept 19).

The session will be held from 7pm to 9pm at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Wan Chai. It will be an open dialogue platform aimed at reaching out to the public and for them to express their views to the government, which is working to understand the discontent and to look for solutions, according to the statement.

"Hong Kong society has really accumulated a lot of deep-rooted economic, social and even political issues, I hope these different forms of dialogue can provide a platform for us to discuss," Mrs Lam told reporters at a briefing before the weekly Executive Council meeting on Tuesday.

Next week's dialogue session is able to accommodate 150 people and those interested in attending the event were invited to submit their applications online from Thursday (Sept 19) to Monday. If the number of people registering for the session is more than 150, places will be allocated by electronic balloting, the statement said.

Successful applicants will be notified by next Tuesday.

Dialogue participants are not allowed to bring along items including umbrellas, loudhailers, defensive equipment such as masks and helmets, flags, banners, as well as plastic, glass or metal bottles or containers, according to the rules spelled out for the dialogue session.

Participants must also not obstruct any entrance, exit, staircase, or emergency exit at the venue.

The government also said that security staff are authorised to request people to undergo security check, including the search of their personal belongings and bags.

"While participants can express their views, they will respect other participants and different opinions. Participants will not disrupt the dialogue, cause nuisance, inconvenience or danger to other parties or use foul languages," the government said.

The former British colony has been roiled by nearly four months of protests. The unrest was sparked by a Bill - now withdrawn - that would have allowed people to be sent from Hong Kong to mainland China for trial. But the protesters' demands have broadened to include an independent inquiry into their complaints of excessive force by the police, and universal suffrage.

Radical protesters, many of them masked and use umbrellas to defend themselves against police tear gas, beanbag rounds and water cannon, have been throwing petrol bombs and bricks at police, storming the Legislative Council, trashing metro stations, and lighting fires on the streets.

Hong Kong returned to China in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" framework that guarantees freedoms not enjoyed on the mainland, including a much-cherished independent legal system. But many residents say they are seeing creeping interference by Beijing in Hong Kong's affairs despite the promise of autonomy.

Mrs Lam on Sept 4 promised the formal withdrawal of the extradition Bill. But some said that was too little, too late, and the protests have continued.