Education crisis forces Leung to axe Apec summit trip

Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying cancelled his trip to tomorrow's Apec leaders' summit in Russia to deal with the controversies on his own doorstep.

Leung must defuse the turmoil over national education, as well as decide on a scheme to restrict sales of new homes to Hong Kong buyers. He also has to deal with the issue of the influx of visitors after the relaxation of permit rules for residents in Shenzhen and five other mainland cities.

News of the cancellation came nine hours before he was due to fly to Vladivostok last night. It is the first time a chief executive has not attended the summit since the handover. Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah will take his place.

A government source said Leung decided to stay in the city to monitor developments in the growing crisis over the introduction of national education.

Since last Thursday, protesters have laid siege to the government headquarters in Admiralty. And the Federation of Students, a group of student unions at eight tertiary institutions, plans to boycott classes next Tuesday. Leung's decision came as Anna Wu Hung-yuk, head of the Committee on the Implementation of Moral and National Education, said the panel may consider options that included scrapping the subject.

A government source said Leung was also busy hammering out details of the "Hong Kong property for Hong Kong residents" scheme, which will impose bans on non-locals buying new homes at designated sites.

It was one of the 10 measures announced by Leung last Thursday to cool the property market.