Three former pro-democracy lawmakers – Eddie Chu, Ray Chan and Ted Hui – were arrested on Wednesday morning in connection with throwing foul-smelling objects in the legislature in May and June.
According to Hui’s Facebook page, the Democratic Party member was apprehended on suspicion of contempt under the Legislative Council (Powers and Privileges) Ordinance and for allegedly breaching the Offences against the Person Ordinance.
During the arrest, police told Hui that he had splashed odorous liquids onto the floor of the LegCo chamber during the third reading of the national anthem bill, causing chaos and leading the meeting to be halted, the post said.
“[Police also said] the Legislative Council President Andrew Leung felt irritated, disturbed and frustrated,” the post read, adding that Hui was sent to the Western Police Station for investigation.
On May 28, Hui dropped a bag containing a brownish fetid substance in front of Leung as legislators were deliberating the controversial bill that would criminalises insults to the Chinese national anthem March of the Volunteers. The democrat told reporters at the time that the object he threw was a rotten plant, as a form of protest against what he saw as an abuse of power by the LegCo head.
Chan and Chu were also taken into custody on Wednesday morning. The pair’s arrests were linked to releasing stinking liquids inside the LegCo chamber on June 4, according to their Facebook pages. People Power chairman Chan was taken to the North Point Police Station, while Chu’s page said they did not know which station he went to.
Chan and Chu said on June 4 that the liquid they hurled was bio-fertiliser. Despite their attempts to disrupt the third reading of the national anthem bill, the legislature passed the law – violators risk fines up to HK$50,000 or three years in prison.
In response to HKFP’s enquiries, police said their Hong Kong Island Public Order Event Investigation Team arrested three men – aged 38 to 48 – on Wednesday on suspicion of committing contempt of the legislature. The suspects also allegedly violated the Offence against the Person Ordinance by administering noxious things with intent to injure, aggrieve and annoy an individual.
The trio were fined on June 16 for their acts, with Hui forking out HK$52,000 while Chan and Chu were asked to pay roughly HK$100,000 each for cleaning and carpet changing fees.
Chan and Chu left the legislature in September after they said they would not serve in an “appointed legislature.” It came after Beijing extended the current council term as a solution to the legislative lacuna resulting from the delay of the 2020 LegCo election over Covid-19.
Hui also stepped down from this role last week, in a collective resignation of the pan-democrats in protest of the Hong Kong government’s disqualification of four “unpatriotic” pro-democracy lawmakers.
Police said the trio will remain in custody for investigation.
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