Lawmakers Occupy Legco Ahead Of Extradition Rally

Five pro-democracy lawmakers holed themselves up in the Legco chamber on Thursday, saying they would be staying put at least until protesters arrive at the council on Sunday following what activists are hoping will be a massive demonstration against extradition law plans.

Chu Hoi-dick, Jeremy Tam, Roy Kwong, Ted Hui and Gary Fan said they were planning a tag-team effort to maintain a presence in the council throughout the holiday weekend.

Claudia Mo, who is the pro-democracy camp's convenor, said protesters will be able to show their support for the lawmakers' move once they reach Legco on Sunday.

"We're trying to give out the message that we will do our best to block the passage of this controversial bill. By staying on inside the council, we'll see what we can do," Mo said.

"I'm not suggesting that they must stay in there for the entire week, from now until next Wednesday, but we will study the plan after the Sunday protest parade."

The protest march from Victoria Park is due to start at 3pm. Pro-democracy legislators and activists say they are hoping hundreds of thousands of people will join to show their strong opposition to the new legislation, which would enable extraditions from Hong Kong to the mainland for the first time.

As well as the protest, critics of the government's plans had also said that they will urge people to surround Legco when the bill is put to the full council for its second reading on Wednesday.