Hong Kong | Police battle protesters to regain control of key road

A protester leans over barricades after scuffling with police as they were trying to remove barricades that protesters set up to block off main roads in Central district

Hong Kong police said they would investigate a complaint alleging officers beat a pro-democracy protester during clashes early yesterday morning over control of a key road.
Ken Tsang, a member of the Civic Party, was taken by several police officers to a corner at Tamar Park and repeatedly hit and kicked, according to local television footage. The police arrested 45 people as they drove back protesters who had seized the central Lung Wo Road underpass near the city government’s headquarters.
The television images are sparking public outrage, questions from lawmakers, and may rally people to bolster the thinning crowds of protesters who have occupied key roads for almost three weeks. The tussle over the city’s streets escalated this week after police shrunk the areas controlled by demonstrators, who are seeking elections free from the influence of China in 2017.
“We can’t ignore the fact that the longer this lasts, it does have an implication and impact on the reputation of Hong Kong,” Mark McCombe, global head of BlackRock Inc.’s institutional client business and chairman of alternative investors, said yesterday.
Seven police officers were involved in the arrest of Tsang, Hong Kong Police Senior Superintendent Hui Chun-tak said yesterday. The police force is investigating a complaint that the officers, who have been removed from their current duties, used excessive force, he said.
The police should “immediately arrest” the officers and start a criminal investigation, said Alan Leong, head of the Civic Party. Tsang was handcuffed using plastic tape before the assault, he said.
Another TV channel, Now TV, broadcast footage that it said showed Tsang throwing pitchers of water onto police in the moments before he was detained.
Police carrying shields advanced on protesters on Lung Wo Road early yesterday morning, shoving and kicking them back. Some were wrestled to the ground and handcuffed before being led away. The operation came after police used chain saws and sledgehammers to clear barricades to reopen some roads and a tram line feeding the central business district.
While condemning the alleged use of excessive force in the clashes, none of the leading student and activist groups behind the protests have come out to claim responsibility for the attempt to claim Lung Wo Road.
“There isn’t a leader, but people at Lung Wo Road agreed and then took the action,” said Long, a 20-year university student who was at the road last night and only wanted to be identified by his family name. “I understand the front-line police have got their own difficulties, but you can’t just beat people up.”
The Hong Kong Federation of Students, one of the organizers of the broader occupation, said in a posting on its Facebook page that police Commissioner Tsang Wai-hung and the officer in charge of clearing students at Lung Wo Road should resign.
The student-led movement that started Sept. 26 is demanding that the government in Beijing drop plans to vet the candidates for the election of the city’s chief executive in 2017.
Protesters are challenging China’s authority, and should end the demonstrations, Zhang Xiaoming, head of the China’s Liaison Office in Hong Kong, said in a statement. China is “deeply concerned” about the situation, he said.
Talks between the government and the student leaders broke down last week, leading to an impasse in the worst political crisis the city has seen since its return to China in 1997. The government has made contact with students through a middleman in the past few days to try and set up a dialogue, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Raymond Tam said in a briefing yesterday.
“The government and I are willing to have talks with students’ representatives on political reforms, but the Federation of Students has different preconditions for talks over the past weeks,” Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said yesterday. Leung postponed a scheduled briefing to the city’s lawmakers today because of security risks, his office said in a statement on the government website yesterday.
Leung had earlier this week signaled that the occupation of the streets shouldn’t go on for much longer, as it disrupts traffic and commerce.
As the demonstrations wear on, opposition to the protesters has widened. A coalition of truck drivers last week said they would tear barricades down if demonstrators didn’t open the roads by yesterday. Two previous attempts by mobs to clear the streets have led to scuffles and ended after police pushed them back.
The protests are also polarizing the city with little sign of a renewal in talks to end the impasse.
Li Ka-shing, Asia’s richest man, urged student protesters to return home, saying they have successfully got their message across.
“I urge everyone not to be emotional, I plead with everyone not to let today’s emotions becomes tomorrow’s regrets,” Li said in an e-mailed statement. “I earnestly urge everyone to immediately return to your families.” Fion Li, Bloomberg

Amnesty: police officers must face justice for attack on protester

Ken Tsang

Hong Kong police officers involved in the beating and kicking of a detained pro-democracy protester yesterday must face justice, Amnesty International said in a press release yesterday.
Local TV news footage shows social worker Ken Tsang Kin Chiu being taken away by six police officers in the early hours of yesterday.
Amnesty International spoke to a lawyer assisting Tsang who confirmed the details of the attack, and that the victim was taken by police to a local hospital to receive medical treatment. Police have since said they will conduct an investigation into the incident.
“This appears to be a vicious attack against a detained man who posed no threat to the police. Any investigation into this incident must be carried out promptly and all individuals involved in unlawful acts must be prosecuted,” said Mabel Au, Director of Amnesty International Hong Kong.
“It is stomach-churning to think there are Hong Kong police officers that feel they are above the law.”
According to the lawyer, Tsang was initially arrested for assaulting a police officer. The charges against Tsang were then changed to unlawful assembly and obstructing police officers from carrying out their duties. He remains in police custody and will be interviewed after receiving medical treatment.
The incident occurred at around 3am on Wednesday morning as police attempted to remove pro-democracy protesters who had occupied a road just off the main protest site in downtown Hong Kong. Police used pepper-spray against scores of protesters. According to police 45 people were arrested.
“All those being held solely for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and assembly must be immediately and unconditionally released,” said Mabel Au.
“Amnesty International urges the Hong Kong police to show restraint and avoid any unlawful use of force.”