Totally reject 'Occupy'

The characteristics of terrorism are to apply political pressure by attacking civilians and destroying public order. The "Occupy Central" campaign directly targets the heart of Hong Kong's central business district and is intended to paralyze Central by blocking traffic in the area. The daily life of hundreds of thousands of innocent local residents will be turned upside down while businesses will suffer heavy losses, hurting Hong Kong's economy and reputation with dire consequences. "Occupy Central" is illegal and shares the characteristics of terrorism by targeting innocent civilians and Hong Kong's economy to create political pressure. Terrorism is condemned around the world, which is why members of the public here should see the true nature of "Occupy Central" as a blatant assault on the rule of law and reject it categorically.

"Occupy Central" is illegal in terms of means as well as ends. Articles 9 and 10 of the Crimes Ordinance stipulate that any act intended to incite Hong Kong residents to change lawful things by illegal means or encourage them to disobey or violate laws constitutes "a crime of subversion". "Occupy Central" openly urges residents to participate in illegal blocking of traffic and overturn the legal procedure concerning universal suffrage. It obviously violates relevant law and ordinance.

The mastermind and advocates of "Occupy Central" have made it no secret that the campaign will be more destructive than anything people have experienced before by directly hurting the public and Hong Kong's economy "like a nuclear bomb". The busy central business district in Hong Kong Central sees more than 500,000 vehicle/visits a day on average. When "Occupy Central" blocks traffic in Central not only will the district be paralyzed but hundreds of thousands of people who live and/or work there will be victimized as well. An academic researcher estimates that "Occupy Central" can cost Hong Kong HK$1.6 billion a day and the total damage can easily exceed HK$10 billion, which does not include the economic, physical and psychological cost of violence and even bloodshed the advocates have cheerfully admitted that "Occupy Central" may trigger.

The author is a current affairs commentator. This is an excerpted translation of his article published in Hong Kong Commercial Daily on May 20.

(HK Edition 05/21/2013 page1)