China | The Epoch Times
(L-R) C Y Leung and Zhang Dejiang. Epoch Times has obtained exclusive news that Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying planned to deploy and instigate another riot against mainland Chinese tourists in the Golden Week. (Combined photo Epoch Times)
Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, with less than one year remaining in his term, has been deeply embroiled in a “luggage-gate scandal,” causing his popularity to drop significantly again.
In early April, media revealed that Leung’s daughter, Leung Chung-yan, used her father’s position to impose pressure on airport staff to bypass security rules and retrieve a piece of forgotten luggage, thus staging a Hong Kong version of the “Li Gang incident” in mainland China. In the Li Gang incident, an arrested drunk driver tried to use his father’s position to avoid legal trouble.
The incident became known as the “luggage-gate scandal,” in which the problem was handled with a “special procedure for a special status.” The event remains ongoing.
While Leung’s plan to seek re-election was in crisis, Epoch Times received the information that when Leung invited Politburo Standing Committee member and National People’s Congress (NPC) Chairman Zhang Dejiang to attend the “One Belt, One Road” forum on May 18, Leung and the Liaison Office planned to deploy and instigate a riot larger in scale than the recent Mongkok civil unrest.
In the New Territories, they have started recruiting participants. However, Leung’s hidden agenda of another Mongkok riot, under the intervention of different political powers, ended with a whimper rather a bang.
Popularity falls
According to the latest polls of the Public Sentiment Index revealed by the University of Hong Kong, Leung’s popularity has dropped 10 percent from the previous one.
Leung’s net approval rate (the difference between his approval rating and disapproval rating) is now -41 percent.
Commentator Lai Chak Fun believes that the luggage-gate scandal may trigger Leung Chun-ying to step down at any time, he believes if Leung steps down, the grievances will disappear and the support for Hong Kong independence will naturally shrink, because Leung causes more people to support Hong Kong independence.
Attempt to start riot
Epoch Times received information that Leung started to “recruit soldiers” in the New Territories through the Liaison Office.
Leung planned to disguise the recruits as “Hong Kong independence” supporters and then start a riot like the Mongkok civil unrest during this first week of May, that is, before Zhang Dejiang, who leads the Central Coordination Group for Hong Kong and Macau Affairs visits Hong Kong. The riot would have targeted parallel traders and tourists from mainland China.
Intervention from different power groups aborted Leung’s hidden agenda.
According to the informant, the deployment organised by Leung and the Liaison Office was intervened and resisted by the corresponding departments responsible for Hong Kong affairs.
In addition, local power groups were unwilling to provide manpower. Therefore, Leung’s hidden agenda “ended in miscarriage”.
However, a potential incident did occur near the border on May 1.
Hong Kong independence
In recent days, as Leung’s chance for re-election fades, pro-communist newspapers, the pro-Leung camp, and some officials have continually published comments against issues like Hong Kong independence and “national self-determination” allegedly trying to transfer the public’s focus away from the luggage-gate scandal.
While attending an Executive Council meeting on Apr 26, Leung did not respond to the airport scandal. Instead, he took the initiative to raise the issue of Hong Kong independence.
Leung said, “Some people promote Hong Kong independence or self-determination, trying to make 7 million Hong Kong people shoulder the political and economic consequences, and seriously dampen mainlanders’ interest in visiting Hong Kong. This will also strike Hong Kong, especially the employment of the ordinary people”.
After that, some pro-government media, such as Ta Kung Pao, continuously published headline articles that attributed the poor economy and the decrease in mainland tourists to Hong Kong independence.
In regard to the recent provoking reports on Hong Kong independence, commentator Lai Chak Fun said that Hong Kong independence is actually fabricated by Leung and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Lai said that Leung’s re-election strategy is to produce “political scarecrows” and imaginary enemies.
“During the [CCP’s] Two Sessions, the Mongkok civil unrest was suppressed,” Lai said. “Now the event has been raised again and exaggerated, because Zhang Dejiang will come this month.
“At the same time, there is news that the Politburo Standing Committee meeting in June will set the tone for the policy towards Hong Kong. They may decide who can be the candidate for the Chief Executive. Now is the last chance to fight for nomination,” Lai added.
“Therefore, they needed to concoct the issue of Hong Kong independence, enabling the CCP hardliners to shout out: ‘Because of the existence of the force of Hong Kong independence, we need a solid hardliner like Leung Chun-ying to be re-elected for the job,” Lai said.
Stephen Shiu Yeuk-yuen, a senior Hong Kong media worker and political commentator, recently talked about Hong Kong independence when he was interviewed by Nextplus. Shiu suspected that some members of the Localism Camp are actually selected by the Liaison Office.
For example, some so-called radical local groups announced that they would send quite a few people to run for the Legislative Council election this year, and their sources of funds are in question, Shiu told the magazine.
“Now it seems that many organizations just casually elect five to seven individuals to run for the election, as if the funding is not a problem. Where does the money come from? No wonder some people have doubts about them,” Shiu added.
Zhang Dejiang’s visit
China expert Shi Cangshan told Epoch Times that Zhang Dejiang, being a member of the faction of Jiang Zemin and the nominal top officer in charge of Hong Kong affairs, expressed his high-profile support for Leung prior to the Umbrella Movement in 2014, but Xi Jinping made Zhang a mere figurehead after the Umbrella Movement.
“However, this time Zhang will visit Hong Kong at a time that is not July 1, the SAR government’s anniversary. The purpose of this visit is probably to find out the real situation of the candidates for the next Chief Executive and then report it to the Politburo,” Shi told Epoch Times.
“Leung must have spotted the opportunity. Thus, Leung attempted to intensify the contradictions with the supporters of Hong Kong independence and even trigger more serious bloodshed. This would not only provide CCP hawks like Zhang Dejiang with an excuse for imposing tough suppression measures, but also enable Leung to gain enough political capital to win the re-election,” Shi stated.
“This is the usual tactic employed by the CCP. For example, Deng Xiaoping adopted this tactic in the June 4 Student Movement. During the Umbrella Movement, Leung also attempted to impose a bloody suppression together with Zhang, but it was stopped by Xi,” Shi said.
However, the luggage-gate scandal has become increasingly influential, which seems to have jeopardised Leung’s carefully planned re-election campaign.
Commentator Joseph Lian stated in an article that the event has already forced the top politicians in Beijing to admit that Leung is a very dangerous figure.
“His every move slightly off the rails can generate unparalleled destructive power to Hong Kong and the SAR government’s governance,” Lian stated. “A small piece of carry-on luggage turned out to trigger anti-government/anti-establishment power like a TNT explosion. … In some events, Beijing can find a reason not to blame him. However, the luggage-gate event, which seems to be ‘nonsense,’ turned out to be enlightening for Beijing.”
Lian added that the event once again exposed the fact that Leung “took advantage of the public to benefit his individual interests.”
Leung has become a “loner,” according to Lian. Fewer and fewer people are willing to openly support him. At the same time, Leung has an advantage over others, because a slight error of his can trigger the outbreak of enormous opposition, Lian stated.
Lian believes the event may result in a downturn in Leung’s political life.
“It may be an act of God,” Lian stated.
Recount on May 1st incident
On May 1, the North District Parallel Imports Concern Group launched an anti-parallel trading protest. The event was planned to take place at 3pm from San Kung Street and terminating at the Sheung Shui MTR station. Shops in the area closed early in preparation with approximately fifty to sixty police officers standing by at the rally point. Large groups of youths were seen gathering in front of closed stores, many of whom wore masks and had dyed blonde hair.
Large group on youths were seen gathering. (Stone Poon/Epoch Times)
Tensions grew high during the initial stages of the protest. An individual dressed in black was seen in a physical altercation with a protestor carrying the Hong Kong Autonomy Movement Flag. After a brief struggle, both individuals were arrested for fighting in public and brought into the Tai Po Police division.
At 3:15 pm, spokesman for the North District Parallel Imports Concern Group Ronald Leung Kim-shing arrived at the rally point. He claimed that he had received credible reports indicating that troublemakers had infiltrated the protests and announced that the rally was cancelled noting that “unnecessary violence was unwanted.
“Upon arrival, I saw the actual situation, which gave me a very different vibe from events I organized previously,” said Leung. He further claimed that the troublemakers were likely from both the pro city state group and the pro-China groups.
Furthermore, a dozen students and Hong Kong National Front members appeared. Most of them wore masks and did not accept interviews from media. The group then left under police escort.
After the protest was canceled, members of Civic Passion remained at the rally point and refused to leave. They weaved around stores claiming to be reporters and fans of Civic Passion creating a commotion.
Lee Ching Hei, Civic Passion member.
(Stone Poon/Epoch Times)
Ronald Leung Interview
When interviewed by the Epoch Times, Ronald Leung on May 1, he rehttp://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/2057942-embroiled-in-scandal-leung-chun-ying-resorts-to-planning-a-riot/
