Striking dockers make surprise march to Government House

The striking dockers last night made an unannounced move to mark their walkout's first month by marching to Government House, although their target, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, had yet to return from his Beijing trip.

Chaos ensued and traffic lanes on Garden Road were blocked when the dockers tried to break police blockades on their route that started from the Cheung Kong Center in Central, where hundreds of strikers and their supporters had earlier gathered for their second public rally.

Strike organiser Stanley Ho Wai-hong, of the Union of Hong Kong Dockers, claimed 3,000 joined the march against Leung's inaction in the past month. The police put the number at 600.

Police said the protesters informed them of the plan only in the afternoon, rather than a week in advance as required. Deputy Central district commander Chan Yee-lai said they would gather evidence to see whether there was any legal liability.

Meanwhile, the High Court granted an injunction banning the strikers from entering the Cheung Kong Center.

"We have no intention of entering the tower to protest, so the ruling won't affect the dockers' determination," Ho said.