Sheung Wan March Banned, Central Rally Approved

The authorities have banned a protest planned for Sheung Wan on Sunday and imposed restrictions on another a gathering for Central.

The organisers had applied to hold two rallies, one at Chater Garden in Central and another ending at Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park in Sheung Wan - close to Beijing's Liaison Office.

Police said they offered an alternative route for the Sheung Wan march but the organisers refused. The police said that since the proposed route could not be approved as several other marches organised by the same group had flared into violence.

The Chater Garden gathering was approved on condition that it lasted from 3pm to 11pm and that the organiser provide at least 30 marshals.

The Sheung Wan march was planned in protest at police action in Sheung Wan last Sunday.

That march was condemned by the authorities after some protesters targeted Beijing's liaison office.

Eggs were pelted at the building, paint thrown at the emblem of the People's Republic of China, and graffiti sprayed on the plaque outside.

The organisers of Sunday's events had said they didn't plan to go past the liaison office.