District councilors on Thursday apologized to the Hong Kong public for aborting plans to form a civic political platform, saying some pro-democracy parties pulled out after criticism from the government.

Work to establish the platform was suspended after six months of preparations. The localist councilors announced killing the project as their traditional pan-democratic counterparts had backed out under pressure.

The group of councilors, including Super Leung from the Islands district, Owan Li from Yau Tsim Mong, Timothy Lee from Kowloon City and Raymond Li from Sha Tin, bowed and apologized at a press conference called to unveil their decision.

The platform was to have been a citywide medium allowing Hongkongers to discuss issues that went beyond individual districts, such as Lantau reclamation, rearrangement of bus lines and the planned Kai Tak hospital. Its initiators had hoped the channel could rival the Legislative Council, which was higher than district councils in the hierarchy of the establishment.

But the plan came under attack by the government and the pro-Beijing press. Secretary for Home Affairs Casper Tsui, who was in charge of district council affairs, warned that such a platform might violate national security laws.

Pan-democratic parties that had been invited to join subsequently withdrew their participation, the initiators told reporters. Raymond Li said he was disappointed over the failure.

None of the district councilors took media questions. Doubts about how the platform was scrapped and what lay ahead went unanswered.

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