Some Protesters Take A Break As Debate Is Delayed

Some of the dozens of protesters who had continued to stay on at Tamar Park have packed up and left after Legco announced the meeting to discuss the fugitive bill will not take place on Thursday.

These determined protesters had set up a temporary camp outside a closed cafe nearby. They had planned to continue their protest if the lawmakers were to start their debate.

One of the protesters said some of them needed to take a break, while another urged the crowd not to give police a reason to arrest them.

After the Legco announcement, Labour Party lawmaker Fernando Cheung told protesters as there was no meeting, they should decide for themselves whether to stay or leave.

But fellow pan-democratic lawmaker, Roy Kwong of the Democratic Party, urged them to disperse, saying the last thing they wanted was for the police to have an excuse to crack down on them.

Police have retained a tight wall of security around the Tamar Park area with armed officers patrolling the area frequently. They were also checking the identities of people before letting them use the footbridge leading to the Legco area.