A Hong Kong pro-democracy legislator told the media on Sunday to expect some form of repercussions from Beijing due to the recent leakage of messages from his pro-Beijing colleagues. The leaked messages were published by a local newspaper.

RTHK reported that Alvin Yeung from the Civic Party noted that Beijing will consider the leak a "serious" breach of security and that pro-Beijing legislators will have to take action against those responsible for the leak. He would not, however, say what those actions would be.

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A pro-establishment legislator and a member of the Trade Union Federation does not share Yeung's view. Wong Kwok-kin said that the leaked messages do not contain any sensitive information. He also condemned the person responsible for the leaking of the Whatsapp messages. Another pro-Beijing legislator told reporters that they have decided not to look for who is responsible for the leak, the Wall Street Journal reported. 

According to the New York Times, the leaked Whatsapp messages were taken from a group chat by pro-Beijing legislators. The leak casts doubts on the neutrality of Legislative Council President Jasper Tsang. His position requires him not to take sides but merely to make sure that the opposing sides obey the rules of the legislation.

The messages reveals the thoughts of pro-Beijing legislators on June 18 while Hong Kong legislators were taking their stand on a proposed voting legislation. If the bill passesd the legislature, eligible voters in Hong Kong would have had the chance to vote for their own leader. However, the aspirants would need to get approval from the central government before they can announce their candidacy.

This specific provision has met opposition in the legislature and has sparked street rallies across the island. The Whatsapp messages revealed the plans and tactics of the pro-Beijing legislators on that day.

First, the pro-Beijing legislators initially planned to quickly finish the vote before protestors arrived. They later decided to delay the voting so that they could bring in more of their colleagues.

Jeffrey Lam, a pro-Beijing legislator, initiated a walkout in the hopes that the vote will be delayed. However, the vote on the bill proceeded without them and resulted in a landslide vote against the bill.

The Chinese government has downplayed the defeat of the bill by hosting a meeting with pro-Beijing lawmakers on Thursday.

TagsHong Kong, Hong Kong pro-Beijing electoral proposal, Hong Kong Leaked Whatapp Messages