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The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
The Legislative Council will hold a meeting this Wednesday (January 13) at 11am in the Chamber of the Legislative Council Building. During the meeting, Members will debate a motion on releasing Liu Xiaobo.
The motion, to be moved by Hon Fred Li, states: "That this Council seriously regrets that the Central Government has imposed a heavy sentence on Liu Xiaobo for inciting to subvert state power, and demands that the Central Government should immediately release Liu Xiaobo and other dissidents; this Council appeals to the Central Government to recognise that Charter 08 advocated by Liu Xiaobo and others is a manifestation of the common values recognised by civilised societies and to positively affirm the concepts and principles of Charter 08, and the SAR Government should also expeditiously implement dual universal suffrage in Hong Kong according to those concepts and principles."
Members will debate another motion on promoting the philosophical thinking of Confucianism. The motion, to be moved by Hon Chan Kam-lam, says: "That, given that Confucius' philosophical thinking of Confucianism is highly respected by many countries in the world, and Confucius was long ago elected one of the 10 most outstanding philosophers in the world, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation established a 'Confucius Prize for Literacy' in 2005 to award individuals who have made remarkable contribution to education, it is evident that the philosophical thinking of Confucianism is held in high esteem in the world; in view of the weak concept of morality of the Hong Kong community, increasingly distant moral relationship, confusing social values, the frequent occurrence of domestic violence and child abuse incidents, as well as the serious problems of drug addiction, drug abuse and compensated dating among young people, there is indeed a need for the Government to revive the philosophy of Confucianism in the community, with a view to building social order and harmony, strengthening business ethics, and enhancing personal virtues and qualities; in this connection, this Council urges the Government to:
(a) promote the philosophy of Confucianism to revive the concept of public morality, and strengthen the maintenance of ethical relationship in families to enhance the community spirit of mutual help;
(b) promote the application of the philosophy of Confucianism to social enterprises and business operations, so as to enhance the humanistic qualities of the public;
(c) introduce in schools and tertiary institutions moral education courses which feature traditional Chinese cultural thinking and emphasise the cultivation of one's moral character; and
(d) designate the birthday of Confucius as the Confucius Day to establish the esteemed position of Confucian thinking in the Hong Kong community."
Hon Wong Ting-kwong will move an amendment to Hon Chan Kam-lam's motion.
During the meeting, Members will also ask the Administration 20 questions on various policy areas, six of which require oral replies.
The agenda of the above meeting can be obtained via the Legislative Council InfoFax Service (Tel: 2869 9568) or the Legislative Council web site (http://www.legco.gov.hk).
Members of the public are welcome to observe the proceedings of the meeting from the public galleries of the Legislative Council Chamber. They may reserve seats by calling 2869 9399 during office hours. Seats will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. Members of the public can also listen to the meeting via the audio webcast system on the Legislative Council homepage.
Ends/Monday, January 11, 2010
Issued at HKT 17:03
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