Ted Hui Apologises For Grabbing Official's Phone

Democratic Party lawmaker Ted Hui has apologised to a Security Bureau officer for snatching a mobile phone away from her during a Legco meeting on Tuesday.

Hui said he did it because he suspected that the government had breached the Privacy Ordinance by collecting personal information on lawmakers, and he wanted to find out what was on the phone.

He acknowledged that this was not the right thing to do. "I understand that she is just a staff member of the government and I do feel sorry for such an act," he said.

Hui added that he did find a lot of information on the officer's phone, including the entry and exit times of lawmakers into the Legco building. He said this is not appropriate, and accused the government of infringing the privacy of legislators.

He said he would take his concerns to the Privacy Commissioner.

The chairman of the Democratic Party, Wu Chi-wai, said the party does not approve of Hui's actions. He said the party's central committee and disciplinary panel will consider the issue.