Update | Two Hong Kong government ministers Tsang Tak-sing and Paul Tang replaced in shock cabinet reshuffle
Chief executive replaces pair after Beijing said to express unhappiness with their performance
Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying yesterday announced he would replace two ministers in an unexpected and widely questioned cabinet reshuffle that the has learned was because both Leung and Beijing were unhappy with their performance.
In separate statements, Secretary for Home Affairs Tsang Tak-sing, 66, said he was "glad to retire", while Secretary for the Civil Service Paul Tang Kwok-wai cited "unforeseeable family circumstances" for his departure.
I guess he [Tsang Tak-sing] should be relieved to step down
A source familiar with the shake-up said Beijing officials blamed Tsang for his "inadequate" work among Hong Kong's youth that helped fuel last year's Occupy protests. Tang was described as "too laid back" as head of the government workforce to ensure a harmonious relationship between the administration and civil servants' unions.
The chief executive fuelled speculation by refusing to clarify whether the two ministers were fired or had resigned.
The outgoing home minister's elder brother, Jasper Tsang Yok-sing, said he was shocked by the news. "I guess he should be relieved to step down from the job," said the Legislative Council president, who has been unusually critical of the Leung administration in recent days.
Leung executed his biggest cabinet reshuffle just a week after his specially arranged meeting in Beijing with central government officials, including National People's Congress chairman Zhang Dejiang , who has the final say on the appointment of Hong Kong's ministers.
