District Councillors Protest, Boycott CE Talks

Pro-democracy district councillors protested outside government headquarters on Wednesday night ahead of a discussion between Chief Executive Carrie Lam and 400 members of district councils.

Many councillors, including some from the Beijing-loyalist camp, had pledged to stay away from the meeting, which is part of Mrs Lam's efforts to build what she calls a "platform for dialogue" to help end the political crisis sparked by her attempt to change the extradition law.

Members of the NeoDemocrats and the Power for Democracy group donned gear normally worn by protesters and chanted slogans demanding that the government accept five demands put forward by anti-extradition campaigners.

"After two million Hong Kong citizens took to the street on June 16, it's clear that the government just cannot escape from these five major demands, especially the independent commission to look into police brutality," said Gary Fan, a NeoDemocrat lawmaker and district councillor.

"In order to help Hong Kong to step forward again, these five demands must be met by CE Carrie Lam. To have a closed-door dialogue with pro-establishment district councillors can do nothing to help the current situation."