Though the bill had been introduced in February 2003, Asia was experiencing the SARS epidemic, and major protest towards it did not happen until Hong Kong recovered at the start of June. In June 2003, the pro-democracy camp mobilised the public to oppose the bill, and on 1 July, the sixth anniversary of the handover, more than a half million Hong Kong residents took to the streets against then-Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa and Secretary for Security Regina Ip, who was in charge of the bill.[1] In the evening of 6 July, Liberal Party chairman James Tien decided to withdraw from the "governing coalition" by resigning from the Executive Council in protest. Knowing that the bill would not be passed without the Liberal Party, the government finally decided to postpone it, before it was shelved indefinitely.[9]