March 4, 2016 (RTHK) — The government said it plans to move the controversial Copyright (Amendment) Bill to the end of the batch of bills put forward to the legislature for scrutiny. The administration had earlier set March 4 as the deadline for the bill to be passed.
The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Greg So, said the reshuffling probably means legislators will not be able to deal with the bill before the current legislature’s term ends in July. He said the failure to pass the bill is a loss for Hong Kong. But several pan-democratic lawmakers hit back, saying the government should bear the blame by refusing to listen to opponents of the bill.
Other news coverage:
Hong Kong government drops controversial copyright legislation, Variety, March 3, 2016
Copyright bill fails to pass before gov’t imposed deadline, Hong Kong Free Press, March 4, 2016
Five reasons the Hong Kong copyright bill failed, South China Morning Post, March 4, 2016 (subscription required)
