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In response to a local Chinese newspaper report today (December 26) on a public event to be held on Hong Kong Island on January 1, 2013, a Police spokesman made the following statement:
"Police stated in the press releases issued on December 22 and 25 that the Letter of No Objection (LONOs) had been issued to seven organisers to hold public events on Hong Kong Island on January 1, 2013. With due consideration of public safety and public order, a number of conditions had been imposed on the public events, which include that the relevant five organisers shall endeavor to assist Police in ensuring that participants will not set up any booths for fund-raising, hawking or promotional activities along the agreed route and as such not to cause any unreasonable obstruction to the proceeding of the procession.
Police stated clearly in the press releases that experiences have shown that any booths set up for fund-raising, hawking or promotional activities will cause serious obstruction to the proceeding of the procession. For this reason, those conditions are imposed on the processions with due consideration of public safety and public order, absolutely not to suppress any organisation.
Indeed, Police adopted a consistent approach in facilitating similar public events. Such conditions had also been imposed on a procession on Hong Kong Island on December 30, 2012 and five other processions on Hong Kong Island on January 1, 2013.
Police stressed that the Forceˇ¦s policy is to facilitate members of the public to take part in peaceful public events and hence has the duty to adopt effective measures to maintain public safety and public order.
Police will cooperate closely with the organisers to implement appropriate crowd management measures to ensure that the public events are held in a safe and orderly manner."
Police report no.: 176
Ends/Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Issued at HKT 18:19
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