Police chief defends Occupy Central activist's arrest
Commissioner dismisses claims that charge is linked to campaigner's Occupy Central role
Police made more than 30 "low-profile" attempts over more than a year to arrest an Occupy Central volunteer for her role in a demonstration two years ago, the police chief said yesterday.
Andy Tsang Wai-hung said officers did not know until she was arrested on Wednesday that Melody Chan Yuk-fung had joined the movement to occupy roads in the city centre in a pro-democracy protest planned for next year.
"The speculation that [this arrest] is related to Occupy Central is purely speculation. There is no basis in it at all," Tsang said.
The speculation that [this arrest] is related to Occupy Central is purely speculation. There is no basis in it at all
His remark was rejected by Chan, a trainee solicitor.
The police commissioner said an arrest warrant had been issued for Chan in January last year over her part in a July 1, 2011, demonstration. He said officers had contacted her to say she would be arrested and charged, but she declined to go to the police station.
Officers made more than 20 calls and visited her home 10 times without success, but they did not go to her workplace or put her on a border stop list as they wanted to keep the operation "low profile", Tsang said.
On her Facebook page, Chan said she covered Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's official visit to Beijing in April last year and also travelled to Sweden in August.
She said she encountered no problems leaving and entering Hong Kong on both trips.
