Legco Cancels Thursday's Meeting Amid Tension

The Legislative Council has cancelled its full council meeting scheduled for Thursday, further pushing back the debate on the controversial extradition bill.

In a circular sent to lawmakers, it was stated that Legco President Andrew Leung decided that the "council meeting originally scheduled for June 12, 2019 will not be held today (13 June)".

It also said lawmakers will be notified of the time "once it is determined by the president".

On Wednesday, tens of thousands of people surrounded Legco and the adjacent government headquarters in protest over government plans to amend extradition laws. The demonstration later descended into chaos with police firing tear gas and rubber bullets to drive away the protesters.

The pan-democrat camp's convenor, Claudia Mo, had urged the Legco president not to begin the debate on Thursday.

"We are still calling on Andrew Leung, without any consideration... he should just scrap any meeting, all the meetings, that would involve what we call the evil law," she said.

Democratic Party lawmaker James To warned that it would be dangerous for Legco to resume debate on the bill. He said those opposed to it are very determined, and would return to the site in greater numbers.

The Legco secretariat has maintained its amber alert which severely restricts access to the complex.

Many of the roads in the vicinity of the Legislative Council and the Government Headquarters are still closed, with debris still strewn around. There was also a heavy police presence around the Legco area.

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