Off limits: The closed area order for MC6 has been gazetted.

The Government today gazetted the closed area order for the World Trade Organization's 6th Ministerial Conference.

An area covering the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre and its linking footbridges, Tamar site, Wan Chai ferry pier, Convention Drive, Expo Drive and the podium adjacent to Grand Hyatt Hotel, will be declared closed from 6pm on December 12 to 5am on December 19.

The Security Bureau said to safeguard public safety and public order in the conference venue and its surroundings, the Administration considers it necessary to set up a closed area under section 36 of the Public Order Ordinance.

Under this section, the Chief Executive may, where he reasonably believes that it is necessary for the protection of public safety and public order, by order declare any area or place to be a closed area, and entry into the area will be allowed only with permission from the Commissioner of Police.

The coverage and duration of the restriction have been kept to an essential minimum. The closed area will be about one square kilometre, the bureau said.

The conference will be held from December 13 to 18. According to the latest police intelligence, a large number of local and overseas protesters will stage demonstrations in Hong Kong during the MC6.

The bureau said while most of these protesters are expected to be peaceful and law-abiding, some may use disruptive or violent methods, with a view to causing chaos and traffic paralysis, as has been seen at previous conferences and other major international events.

Under the Public Order Ordinance, the Commissioner of Police may give permission to enter or leave the closed area. He will in due course, by notice published in the Gazette under section 38A, grant general permission to holders of accreditation badges to be issued by the MC6 Co-ordination Office to participants, support staff, staff and tenants of the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, to enter or leave the closed area during the closure period.

All MC6 participants are accredited by the WTO, and the MC6 Co-ordination Office is responsible for issuing their badges. For others who need to enter the closed area for justifiable purposes, Police will handle their applications separately through the permit-issuing mechanism. 

The bureau said the Administration has been briefing the sectors concerned, the community and the District Councils on the conference arrangements, including the setting up of the closed area.

Departments concerned will disseminate detailed information to the public on the actual arrangements of the closed area and related traffic and transport arrangements well in advance of the event.

The Administration has also been in discussion with NGOs that may want to organise protest activities during the period to strike the right balance between upholding the right of peaceful assembly, expression and demonstration and protecting the public's safety and security.