Hong Kong lawmakers thrown out of key meeting after clash

Hong Kong, May 18 (IANS): At least 14 Hong Kong opposition lawmakers were thrown out of a key meeting at the Legislative Council on Monday after they clashed with security guards.

The incident came three days after Andrew Leung, President of the Legislative Council, appointed pro-establishment veteran Chan Kin-por to run the House Committee chairmanship election, removing Civic Party lawmaker Dennis Kwok, reports the South China Morning Post.

On Monday morning, Chan decided to suspend the meeting, saying some lawmakers had been injured amid the clashes.

The guards had escorted Chan to the podium before the meeting started, and prevented opposition legislators from approaching him.

However, a group that included Kwok surrounded the podium, raising a placard that read "CCP (Chinese Communist Party) tramples HK legislature".

The meeting eventually resumed almost 30 minutes later.

Over the past three weeks the House Committee, which scrutinises bills and decides when they are put to a final vote, has become the centrepiece of a fight between the opposition camp and China's offices that oversee the city's affairs.

Kwok had presided over the previous 17 meetings as deputy chairman, and had been accused of deliberately delaying the election as a political manoeuvre to block the passage of laws the opposition disagreed with.