Former chairman Joe Wong Nai-yuen and former secretary Denny To Chun-ho of the now-dissolved Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions recently applied to the police for May 1 parade permits as private citizens.
Wong was taken for questioning by the police in the early morning on April 26 and was out of contact for a few hours. When Wong resurfaced before noon, he announced on Facebook to withdraw the parade application.
To Chun-ho attended an RTHK (local media) program the next morning and revealed that “When I regained communication with Wong on the phone, he seemed depressed, and his voice sounded a bit trembling.”
To stated his suspicion that Wong may have had some unpleasant experience during those hours, and that the decision to withdraw the application may not be out of his free will.
To emphasized that he and Wong had a clear understanding that both of them would not cancel the application alone, they were determined to hold the May 1 parade.
“Yet sometimes, when you are put in a certain situation, you do not have a choice to say no,” said To.
To added that he would not apply for another parade for a good while. He described the government’s attitude toward parades or rallies as “harsh” and “the whole environment is hostile to people’s right of assembly.”
To said he believed the incident had sent a terrible message. Applying for a parade is testing the water to see if Hong Kong society is back to normal. However, the result proved that Hong Kong is still an abnormal society.
To emphasized he could not see any risks in holding a parade on May 1, on the contrary, he believed it might be the police who could not handle it.
To also mentioned that he has been getting many nuisance calls. The callers usually self-address as “a Hong Kong citizen” and threaten things such as “You have been told not to organize another parade. It is too risky with the possibility of it being hijacked.”
