Hong Kong's legislature opened Thursday ahead of the planned mass resignation of its pro-democracy bloc, one day after the government ousted four of its members.

One of the pro-democracy lawmakers, Lam Cheuk-ting, unfurled a banner from a balcony of the legislative council building saying the city's leader Carrie Lam had brought disaster to Hong Kong and its people.

The group had said they would hand in resignation letters on Thursday, but it was not immediately clear when they would do it or even what the proper procedure was. One said the removal of their four colleagues could sound the “death knell” for democracy in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

The resignation of the 15 remaining pro-democracy lawmakers would ratchet up tensions over the future of Hong Kong, a former British colony, regional financial hub and bastion of Western-style civil liberties where China's government has increasingly tightened its control. A new national security law imposed by Beijing this year has alarmed the international community.

The mass departure would also leave Hong Kong’s legislature with only pro-Beijing lawmakers, who already make up a majority but would be able to pass bills favored by Beijing without much opposition.

The lawmakers announced their decision hours after the Hong Kong government said it was disqualifying the four legislators — Alvin Yeung, Dennis Kwok, Kwok Ka-ki and Kenneth Leung.





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