District Councillor Maggie Chan Man-ki has announced that she will be resigning from the pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) Party. Chan has been vocal in her opposition to the pro-democracy Occupy protests last year.
Chan issued a statement on Tuesday, announcing that she will be leaving the party in January. She said she was busy with work at the Small and Medium Law Firms Association, of which she is the founding Chairperson, and her departure had nothing to do with any plans to run in the Legislative Council election next year, Apple Daily reported.
Chan said that, in the coming year, she would serve the community, the legal sector and society as an independent, RTHK reported.
She also thanked the DAB and the guidance of past and current leaders, and expressed her wishes to stay in touch with the party and continue to cooperate with them. DAB chairwoman Starry Lee said that she would miss Chan, but respected her decision.
Chan, who is a lawyer, helped a minibus company apply for injunctions to clear the Mong Kok Occupy protest site in November last year.
Chan took part in the World War II anniversary commemoration events in Beijing this year. In October, she was appointed by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying as one of the five new members of the Council of Lingnan University. She ran as a DAB candidate at the elections last month and was re-elected onto the District Council in the Wong Tai Sin district.
