Tag Archives: China

     Owing to the thunderstorm warning, the flag-raising ceremony to be conducted at Golden Bauhinia Square, Wan Chai at 8am today (August 26) will be cancelled. read more

     Police earlier issued the Letter of No Objection for the public procession held in Tsuen Wan yesterday (August 25). However, some extremely violent protestors deviated from the original route, obstructing roads, vandalising shops and tunnel facilities, hurling petrol bombs, bricks and miscellaneous objects at police officers. Police severely condemn the protestors who purposefully harmed police officers.
      
     At around 3.35pm, some radical protestors blocked various roads in Tsuen Wan, including Luen Yan Street, Yeung Uk Street and Texaco Road, and set up barricades with water-filled barriers, bamboo sticks and other objects, paralysing traffic in Tsuen Wan. Having escalated their violence, protestors aimed laser beams and hurled bricks, hard objects and petrol bombs at police officers, apart from setting up barricades.
      
     In view of the escalated violence, Police issued multiple warnings to appeal to the protestors to leave but in vain. At around 5.30pm, police officers used appropriate force, including deploying tear gas and two specialised crowd management vehicles, to stop the violent acts of the protestors.
      
     At around 7.40pm, a large group of extremely violent protestors vandalised shops and entertainment venues at Yi Pei Square, Tsuen Wan. Emergency Unit of New Territories South was deployed at scene. The protestors hurled hard objects at police officers and attacked them with different weapons. Under attack, police officers guarded with shields and batons in retreat while giving warnings. However, the protestors continued to attack and injured police officers. One of the police officers under attack fell onto the ground. Being surrounded, under attacks and facing threats to life, six police officers withdrew pistols and stayed on guard while giving warnings to the protestors. In order to protect the safety of other officers and himself, one of the police officers fired a warning shot to the sky without any other choices.
      
     The protestors later went to various locations, including Sham Shui Po, Tsim Sha Tsui, Sha Tin and the Cross-Harbour Tunnel, and aimed laser beams and hurled objects at police officers. They also vandalised facilities and set up barricades with miscellaneous objects at the Cross-Harbour Tunnel to paralyse traffic.
      
     During the operations, 15 police officers were injured and sent to the hospital for treatment.
      
     Police arrested 29 men and seven women, aged 12 to 48, for offences including unlawful assembly, possession of offensive weapon and assaulting police officers.
      
     The protestors’ violence disregarded the law and order. Police severely condemn such violence which was outrageous and have overstepped the bottom line of a civilised society. Only when there were violent acts or illegal behaviours which endangered the safety of people at scene, Police would stop them by proportionate use of force to prevent the incidents from worsening.
      
     Police appeal to members of the public to make a clean break with violent protestors and stay away from areas with violence. Police also hope that journalists could cooperate with operations of police officers and pay attention to their own safety. Police will take relentless enforcement action to bring the persons involved to justice. read more

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at suitable intervals:

     As the Red Rainstorm Warning Signal has been issued, the Home Affairs Department’s Emergency Co-ordination Centre is now in operation.

     The Home Affairs Department will open temporary shelters for people in need of temporary accommodation.

     For details, please contact the centre on 2835 1473. read more

     In response to the protests in Kwai Tsing, Tsuen Wan and other districts yesterday (August 25), a Government spokesman said the following:

     In the procession and assembly in Kwai Tsing and Tsuen Wan yesterday, despite that a Letter of No Objection had been issued following discussion between the Police and the organiser, some protesters deviated from the original route during the procession, blocked roads, confronted the police, wantonly attacked police officers with things like bricks and iron rods, and hurled petrol bombs at police vehicles and officers many times, seriously breaching the public peace and posing a grave threat to the safety of police officers on duty as well as the members of the public at the scene.  Some protesters removed a national flag at Kwai Chung Sports Ground, the assembly venue, and trampled on it. The act challenges the national authority and allegedly violates the National Flag and National Emblem Ordinance. At night, some radical protesters vandalised with violence a number of shops in Tsuen Wan. The police officers attending the scene were attacked by a number of violent protesters at one point and, with the officers’ lives under threat, an officer fired a warning shot into the air. The radical protesters’ violent acts later also spread to various areas including Sham Shui Po, Tsim Sha Tsui and the Kowloon entrances of the Cross-Harbour Tunnel.

     The escalating illegal and violent acts of radical protesters are not only outrageous, they also push Hong Kong to the verge of a very dangerous situation. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government severely condemns these acts and the Police will strictly follow up on them. The HKSAR Government appeals to members of the public to combat violence and uphold the rule of law together so that order can be restored in society as soon as possible. read more

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations: Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at suitable intervals:      Members of the public are advised to report any street flooding that comes to … read more