HONG KONG, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- The arrest and prosecution against Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, instigator of the Hong Kong riots, has been hailed by people from various sectors of the Hong Kong society as the arrival of long-awaited justice and a demonstration of the spirit of rule of law.
Lai and two other Hong Kong residents were arrested on Friday by Hong Kong police and were charged with one count of "knowingly participating in unauthorized assembly." Lai was also charged with another count of "criminal intimidation."
Leung Chun-ying, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said that Lai's arrest drew attention because of his role as the brain, donor, whip and mouthpiece of the forces in Hong Kong that have been betraying the country and destabilizing Hong Kong as well as the importance foreign anti-China forces attached to him.
The arrest and prosecution against Lai showed that in Hong Kong, a place based on the rule of law, political powers should never override the law, and those who break the law, no matter how tough their backers are or what foreign umbrella they have, will be punished in accordance with the law.
Chan Yung, vice-chairperson of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, said many Hong Kong residents described the arrest of Lai as "the arrival of long-awaited justice."
The arrest action by police is an encouraging news for many Hong Kong residents who support justice, Chan said, hoping that the court will severely punish the instigator of riots in accordance with the law.
Ng Chau-pei, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, said Lai colluded with external forces to carry out the Hong Kong version of "color revolution" in an attempt to overthrow the "one country, two systems" system.
Lai should have been brought to justice long ago for the crimes he has committed bringing disaster to the country and creating chaos in Hong Kong, Ng pointed out, adding that the arrest of him showed "the rule of law and justice, though delayed, will never be absent."
Many people blamed Hong Kong's prolonged unrest on the incitement by Lai and the forces behind him, urging the court to strictly punish the criminals in accordance with the law and to bring Hong Kong back on track with the help of the rule of law.
Emphasizing on the rule of law and judicial independence as the core values and cornerstones of Hong Kong's success, Willy Fu, Hong Kong Legal Exchange Foundation Executive Council Vice Chairman, said the Hong Kong police's law enforcement action against Lai was based on sufficient evidence and in accordance with the law, and called on the court to play its role in punishing the criminals according to law.
An editorial article published on Saturday by Hong Kong newspaper Ta Kung Pao pointed out that ending violence and chaos and restoring order remain the top priority for Hong Kong, and to complete this task Hong Kong can not rely solely on the police law enforcement, but also on the judiciary to restore the authority of the rule of law.
