Internet Restrictions Would Kill HK: Felix Chung

The leader of the Liberal Party, Felix Chung, warned on Wednesday that any move by the government to restrict internet access to try to quell the city's protests would "kill Hong Kong immediately".

Chung also said that it wasn't necessary for the government to invoke emergency powers last week to ban masks at protests.

He was one of just two pro-establishment lawmakers who did not sign a joint statement supporting the new anti-mask law, along with Roundtable legislator Michael Tien.

Chung said he believes the government's move will not work and will only lead to further violence, adding that this already became apparent over the weekend.

"We should calm down society, not escalate [the situation]. So I think that was a very wrong decision," he said.

"It's not workable, at all. You can see from the weekend, so many people came out with masks. So what can the police force do? They just don't have sufficient resources or manpower. If you think that 10,000 or 20,000 people can come out with masks, what can they do?"

The lawmaker said a better solution would be for the government to find a way to hold dialogue with all stakeholders in society.

Chung also warned that the government should not make further use of the Emergency Regulations Ordinance to take new measures, in particular restricting the internet in the SAR.

"I really don't think that will help at all. I think that would kill Hong Kong immediately. Because Hong Kong is a free city...freedom of the press, freedom of speech, or whatever. If you impose something that controls all the freedom of information, that is not Hong Kong. That will definitely kill Hong Kong," he told RTHK's Janice wong.