#OccupyCentral thread: Give me Liberty or Give me Death!

[frenchbriefs]

Re: China blocks bbc website after video shows hong kong police beating protester

unlike China,CCP does not control the media and the police in Hong Kong,whatever the chao ah tiongs try to do in hong kong will be exposed to the whole world so they have to tread carefully.....there are worse shit going on in China but since it is forbidden to report on them and the police are hyper aggressive,most of the human rights abuses goes unknown.

 

[laksaboy]

Re: China blocks bbc website after video shows hong kong police beating protester

Authoritarian regimes always try to censor this, block that, lie about this, wrongly accuse of that. Sounds familiar?

 

[Narong Wongwan]

Re: China blocks bbc website after video shows hong kong police beating protester

Beijing willing to vet new candidates is good what. Like they smell the durian before putting it up for sale to you. Why no good? Hongkongers are such strange people!

Problem is the hongkies dun want durians!

Jack Ma can start a copycat chink version bbc and rake in billions again

 

[laksaboy]

Re: China blocks bbc website after video shows hong kong police beating protester

Beijing willing to vet new candidates is good what. Like they smell the durian before putting it up for sale to you. Why no good? Hongkongers are such strange people!

Yeah, but in this case, the durian seller deliberately gives you the lousy durians. And if you don't buy the ones he picked for you, he'll crack your skull with a durian shell.

 

[Helder Postiga]

Re: Give me Liberty or Give me Death! Giordano Tycoon joins Occupy Central!


OCCUPY CENTRAL - DAY 19: Full coverage of the day’s events

PUBLISHED : Thursday, 16 October, 2014, 7:59am
UPDATED : Thursday, 16 October, 2014, 11:36pm

Staff reporters

Ken Tsang addresses the crowds in Admiralty. Photo: Dickson Lee

Good evening and welcome to our ongoing live coverage of Hong Kong's Occupy protests.

The US today said it was 'deeply concerned' over a video apparently showing a demonstrator being beaten by police, while Chief Executive CY Leung said during a press conference this afternoon that the government is willing to enter into talks with students.

Stay tuned for all the latest breaking news.
____________________________________

This concludes our live coverage for the night. Join us again tomorrow morning for more live news on the Occupy protests.

11.30pm Admiralty: Cannes film festival best actress Deanie Ip visits Admiralty to support students and fellow artists. "Suddenly, I no longer trust the police to leave protesters in peace," she says, while pinning a yellow umbrella onto her sleeve.

11.00pm Causeway Bay: Protesters are getting ready to spend another night on Yee Wo Street. More than 20 tents are pitched in the area. Priscilla Chung, 23, who works in marketing, has just set up one of them. "I can see that it won't be a short journey, so we decided to use a tent to get a better sleep," she says.

Chung and her friend also have a tent in Admiralty, but decided to support the movement in Causeway Bay for a few days. "We heard that there were fewer and fewer people coming here. So, it sounded a bit dangerous to let that happen," she says. Each occupied area is, in her opinion, "a bargaining chip" that should be protected.

10.45pm Admiralty: Canto-pop icon Anthony Wong and singer Denise Ho speak at the Harcourt Road rally before giving a performance. "Music has never been for entertainment purposes only," Wong says. "There are lots of creative ways that we can document this movement."

10.35pm: A member of the British government says Hong Kong's policing of recent protests have been "largely proportionate". William Wallace, a government representative in the House of Lords, is speaking at a debate on recent developments in the city.

10.25pm Admiralty: Ken Tsang's lawyer Alvin Yeung says if the police or the department of justice fails to conduct a public prosecution of the police officers involved with alleged beating of Tsang, private prosecution will be the last resort. Tsang says he cannot comment on what happened on that night, including allegations of him pouring liquid on police officers.

10.15pm Admiralty: Joshua Wong Chi-fung of Scholarism calls on protesters to stop swearing and clashing with police. Speaking at a rally on Harcourt Road, the student comments on the attempted occupation of Lung Wo Road near the chief executive's office over the past few nights, which resulted in violent clashes and police resorting to the use of pepper spray.

"It was 4am. Some protesters were swearing at police officers. I also saw masked men standing at the back telling people to clash with police while they themselves did nothing," he said. "I felt so helpless and didn't know what to do."

"I hope you can remember that we are here to protest, not to vent our anger," Wong continues. "Should we see the police as a tool to vent our anger? This is a question each of us here should think about."

10.05pm Admiralty: Reacting to CY Leung's earlier statement, Lester Shum, deputy secretary-general of the Federation of Students, said his group "would not be afraid of dialogue". But the student activists also questioned Leung's sincerity. "If [Leung] is offering to talk but at the same time [is] ordering police to clear the scene violently, the people know how sincere he is," said Alex Chow, who leads the federation.

10.00pm Causeway Bay: About two hundred people are in the protest zone in Causeway Bay. After this afternoon's blaze, volunteers were able to clean up the area and put the tents in their original place. A free class on how to use a mask if police deploy tear gas or pepper spray has just finished, while a talk lead by a member of the Students Christian Movement of Hong Kong about non-violent resistance and non-violent communication is still underway.

Photo: Raquel Carvalho

9.45pm Admiralty: More than 100 runners gather near the "Lennon Wall" for a run around the occupied zone tonight. Following calls on Facebook to "let light shine in the darkness", most of the runners wore bright yellow and headlamps. The four-kilometre run starts and ends on Tim Mei Avenue, near the East Wing of the government headquarters.

Form Four students Alan Leung and Hugo Wu are among those joining the marathon tonight. The pair said they both took part in the pro-democracy class boycott last month and that three out of four schoolmates in his year support Occupy.

Another runner, Ken Yeung, who works for an independent public policy research institute, said: "The marathon is about perseverance and this is our message to the students, to encourage them to persevere in this long fight."

Photo: Jennifer Ngo

9.15pm: Ken Tsang Kin-chiu takes the stage on Harcourt Road and, despite him being allegedly beaten by a group of officers, tells the crowd that they should not be hostile to the police.

"All I want to say is, it was a few police officers who did not treat me well," says Tsang, 39, a social worker and Civic Party member. "I still believe the whole police force is not like that.

"I call on you not to be to hostile to other police officers," he said, to applause from the crowd.

Tsang says he is still in much pain even after several hours of rest. He feels pain in his muscles and is getting neck and back cramps. He also has to breathe slowly as it is it is painful to take deeper breaths.

Tsang thanks the media for "witnessing what happened and recording it". He calls on Police Commissioner Andy Tsang to explain police actions over the past 19 days.

Ken Tsang speaks to crowds in Admiralty. Photo: Joyce Ng

9.05pm: Occupy Central issues a statement, urging a speedy investigation into alleged police abuses:

OCLP [Occupy Central with Love and Peace] is concerned about the progress of the investigation. [We] urge the authorities to make public soon its [findings] and its investigation report into the allegations that police used excessive force on protesters during the clearance of Lung Wo Road.

It goes without saying that the abuse of power by individual officers is outrageous, but we hope every Occupy protester would not leave behind their aspirations to fight for democracy with love and peace, and remember that who they are against are the autocrats who ignore the people.

[We] must be vigilant not to allow violence to happen, which would give the government an excuse to launch a crackdown.

We appeal to all protesters to stay at Umbrella Square [Harcourt Road]; any further attempt to block traffic or to enlarge the occupied area would intensify the conflict in our society and only Leung Chun-ying would stand to gain from it.

If civil disobedience is to succeed, [we] must seek the public's understanding and the support from the masses.

8.45pm: Admiralty: An Occupy Central supporter tries to hand TVB journalists on Harcourt Road a gold plaque with the inscription "contributions appreciated".

The gift-giver, protester Richard Lam, said he wanted to thank the TV crew for showing footage of the alleged police beating of Ken Tsang. A TVB reporter declined to accept the gift, saying they were only doing their job. At Lam's insistence, the reporter said he should send it to TVB's office instead.

Earlier, some 300 people gathered for a lecture by a political commentator and former Straits Times journalist who was jailed on the mainland for two years.

An estimated 1,000 people are on Harcourt Road, much less than last night's turnout.

8.35pm: Causeway Bay: Fire trucks have left after the billboard blaze. Protesters are quickly rebuilding the barricades on Yee Wo Street, next to the Sogo department store, and cleaning up remaining debris. They were earlier concerned that police, who set up a wide cordon near the fire, would not allow protesters to camp on the street again.

Photo: Raquel Carvalho

8.30pm: A High Court judge has advised Civic Party member Ken Tsang Kin-chiu to write to the police commissioner about a request to disclose the identities of the officers who allegedly beat him.

Tsang filed a writ the High Court at 4pm and called for an urgent hearing. One of his requests is that an interim mandatory injunction be issued, imposing an interdiction from duty on the officers. Police have already announced the suspension of seven officers.

The court also heard that Tsang needed the names of the officers to lodge private legal action against each of them. Outside the court, Tsang's lawyer, Michael Vidler, said they would give the police until Monday morning to reply to their request for the disclosure of names.

8.10pm: Asked about his views on the alleged attacks on journalists during the demonstrations, media veteran and anti-Occupy figure Robert Chow Yung said: “When police have to take action during chaos, there may be ‘collateral damage’."

Chow advised younger journalists to exercise caution when covering physical altercations during protests, adding that the media are "facing a new work environment since the start of Occupy Central".

"Hong Kong journalists are very brave. Even war correspondents would describe them as crazy,” the former RTHK talk show host said in a press conference for the Alliance for Peace and Democracy.

Chow described police as the "thin blue line" maintaining order in the city, without which Hong Kong would descend into anarchy.

On Wednesday, six local press unions requested a meeting with security minister Lai Tung-kwok and police chief Andy Tsang Wai-hung, after some journalists reported being punched, dragged and pulled by officers while covering clashes on Lung Wo Road despite showing their press cards and holding recording devices.

Earlier, chief superintendent Steve Hui Chun- tak reiterated that the force respected press freedom and urged journalists to stay safe and cooperate with officers at operation scenes.

7.50pm: Police public relations bureau senior superintendent Kong Man-keung responds to questions on why anti-triad officers have been sent to protest sites.

He denied that a manpower shortage was the reason for the deployments. Kong explained that the officers, with their expertise in criminal investigation, could make quick arrests when necessary.

No roads have been reopened over the past 24 hours and the total length of occupied roads in the city remains at 2.3 kilometres.

Eight bus routes are suspended due to the blockades and another 218 routes have been diverted.

7.35pm: Spotted a silver lining amid the protests? A Chinese umbrella exporter has filed for an initial public offering in Hong Kong, Reuters reports.

China’s third-biggest umbrella maker Jicheng Umbrella Holdings is seeking funds to build a new factory, according to a prospectus filed on Wednesday, Reuters said.

The city became the umbrella maker’s third-largest market in the first half of the year, the documents said.

Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests have been dubbed the “umbrella movement” or "umbrella revolution" after protesters used the gear to protect themselves from tear gas and pepper spray fired by the police.

7.15pm: Causeway Bay: Protesters are anxious about losing their camp on Yee Wo Street as police have cordoned off part of the site due to a billboard fire. Protesters had moved their tents and opened a barricade to clear the way for emergency services.

The blaze has been extinguished, and dozens of policemen and firemen remain, sealing off one lane of the street.

Photo: Raquel Carvalho

7pm: Legco security panel chairman Ip Kwok-him says the committee will hold a special meeting on October 27 to discuss how police handled the protests, and Commissioner of Police Andy Tsang Wai-hung will be invited.

Separately, Democratic Party security affairs spokesman James To Kun-sun called the suspension of seven officers said to be involved in the alleged beating of Ken Tsang a "belated but positive step". But To said a criminal investigation should still be launched.

Meanwhile, more accusations emerged from the pro-government camp about the Ken Tsang incident. Ann Chiang Lai-wan, of the Beijing-loyalist DAB party, cited unsubstantiated claims, which she said were circulating online, that Tsang was pouring urine from a ledge on Lung Wo Road before he was caught by officers. The Post has reported Tsang was pouring water.

The day's heated debates even prompted Liberal Party lawmaker Tommy Cheung Yu-yan to break into song about how policemen are feeling amid the protests.

Cheung's song, titled Belief Without Complaint, is set to the tune of You Raise Me Up, and includes the lyrics: "All people are complaining, because all kinds of twisted arguments are emerging. There are screams for resignation, but they don’t think of how to mend the situation. Insults are based on bias. But smiles are needed to encourage each other."

6.45pm: Civic Party lawmaker Alan Leong Kah-kit reacts to CY Leung's overtures to students, suggesting the proposed dialogue might be one-sided.

“What CY Leung has in mind is, obviously, to lecture the students, instead of having a genuine dialogue," he says.

"But I would hope that the Federation of Students would … say yes to the dialogue [because] it is important for [Leung’s] lack of genuineness to be exposed to both the Hong Kong public and the world by this so-called dialogue.”

Ronny Tong Ka-wah, also from the Civic Party, welcomes the prospective talks. "[It] would hopefully cool down the temperature a little bit, so that both sides can talk about issues perhaps more rationally,” he said.

Tong suggested that instead of continuing to argue about the 2017 chief executive election, officials should seek a breakthrough on how to implement universal suffrage in the Legislative Council election in 2020.

6.40pm: More on the arguments between protesters and police in Mong Kok. Here is a video of an officer giving an emotional speech over the alleged beating of a protester yesterday. The translation is written below.

6.30pm: The Hong Kong Police Force's website is currently offering an offbeat souvenir linked to the recent protests, featuring their now infamous tear-gas warning sign.

Its online souvenirs gallery, run by its sole licensed vendor Yorkview Company Limited, offers a set of seven cartoonish figurines of paramilitary officers in riot gear. Three figurines – two with shields and one with a loudspeaker – surround another that's holding up a black banner with the words: "Warning. Tear Smoke."

The set of seven costs HK$450 and weighs 0.5kg, according to Yorkview's website. A set of four figurines (without the officer holding the banner) costs HK$250.

As of Thursday, the two packages rank as the online shop’s top-selling items. An employee reached by phone said the seven-figurine set was quite popular. “Today we’ve already had 11 people buy it online,” she said, adding that the number was unusually high. "I think they are first-time customers."

A seller on Taobao, China’s biggest online shopping retail website, sells the sets to mainland buyers for 499 yuan (HK$632) plus shipping fees. So far, however, it appears that the product has yet to find a buyer on Taobao.

A figurine set sold on the police's souvenirs gallery. Photo: Yorkview

6.05pm: Mong Kok: A shouting match broke out between Occupy crowds and police after one criticised an officer over the way he handled an anti-Occupy protester.

The argument escalated when some protesters accused the police force of being corrupt, prompting insults from both sides. Other officers intervened, appealing for calm.

One inspector, using a megaphone, told the crowds, "One group doesn't represent everyone", referring to officers who allegedly beat up Civic Party member Ken Tsang.

The inspector said the police had been doing their utmost to protect the protesters. "But don't forget that police work as a team!" a protester shouted back.

The officers retreated to let things cool down.

5.57pm: A fire has broken out in a building near the Causeway Bay protest site. Firemen have arrived and are spraying jets of water. More to follow...

The blaze had hit a billboard above Yee Wo Street. Three fire trucks are now at the scene. Protesters quickly moved their tents and supplies away from the area. Part of the barricades on the street had to be removed to allow emergency services through.

5.30pm: Independent Police Complaints Council member Lawrence Ma Yan-kwok says he is concerned that ill will against police has "reached the bursting point" and the backlash might target not only officers but their families.

"For example, would children of police officers be victimised at school?" says Ma, who is also a member of the Beijing-loyalist party Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong.

Ma says the Ken Tsang case has been referred to the council and it will be referred to the Department of Justice if lawbreaking is found. Ma was speaking at a press conference held by the Alliance for Peace and Democracy, a group campaigning against Occupy Central.

Scenes in Mong Kok. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

A placard showing the police commissioner's picture is hung on a barricade near Tamar. Photo: Dickson Lee

5pm: More on the suspension of the seven police officers for the alleged beating of a protester. Police public relations bureau senior superintendent Kong Man-keung said it had taken more than 24 hours to suspend the officers as the identities of those involved could not be confirmed earlier.

He said an investigation had begun on whether there was criminality involved in the treatment of Ken Tsang.

4.40pm: Predictably, early reactions to CY Leung's declaration that the government would meet with student protesters - despite reiterating that Beijing would not bow to their demands on democratic reforms - are not very positive.

Chan Kit-shan, 38, administrator for a company in Central: "The negotiations are pretty useless. The government has already denied civil nominations and said it'll stick to what the National People's Congress decided, so it's not giving what we and the Hong Kong Federation of Students want. I know it's bleak, but I'm still hoping for the government to grant civil nominations and reverse the National People's Congress' decision. Even if the government can't do that, it should show us a significant compromise."

Tsang Chiu-Hang, 43, in the publishing business: "If the government wants to talk, the students should go and see what they can make of it. I think we always knew the chances of making the government or Beijing back down are slim, but since we're at this point, we should keep fighting so at least they know what Hongkongers want. I know it sounds like we're prepared to accept defeat, but negotiating is better than shouting at each other.

"Even if we don't get what we want, at least this has been a good political wake-up call to a lot of people in Hong Kong. Also, I was telling a friend the other day, it's nice to see at the protests that Hongkongers aren't all selfish and can still take good care of each other.

Siu Kam-To, 19, student at Hong Kong University: "What a load of crap. They're saying that they want to negotiate without any preconditions from us, and yet they just set one - the framework from the National People's Congress. If the government insists on sticking to what the National People's Congress says, then I don't really see what negotiations can achieve."

Dennis Choi, 22, a student, said Leung Chun-ying was only trying to cool down the crisis, given the mistakes that police had made over the two days.

"He is just wearing the protesters out so that in the end, when the crowd lessens, he can crack down on us hard."

Danny Choi, a clerk: "If he was serious about anwering the call of the people, the protesters would be more than happy to leave without the police clearance."

4.22pm: Seven police officers alleged to have beaten protester Ken Tsang Kin-chiu in the early hours on Wednesday, have been suspended, Senior Superintendent Kong Man-keung says at a press conference.

3.50pm: Ten Democratic Party district councilors are resigning as the government’s community advisers to protest against the alleged police attack on Civic Party protester Ken Tsang.

The 10 – Yau Tsim Mong member James To Kun-sun, Tuen Mun councillors Josephine Chan Shu-ying and Catherine Wong Lai-sheung, Central and Western councillor Wong Kin-shing, as well as a councillor each from six other districts – are quitting the Fight Crime Committee’s branches in their districts.

The branches are responsible for monitoring crime and law enforcement and making recommendations on crimefighting.

In a press conference on Thursday morning, To questioned why no arrests had been made over the alleged attack, which, he said had destroyed the reputation of the police force.

3.27pm: This afternoon's press conference is unlikely to impress the protesters or student groups calling for democracy.

The SCMP's Gary Cheung writes: "By reiterating that dialogue on the election of the 2017 chief executive election has to be based on Basic Law and and the decision by the National People's Congress Standing Committee, Leung Chun-ying simply repeated the government's stance that it has stuck to since the Occupy Central protests began on September 28. It will be hard to please the students and, given the fact that both sides are poles apart, it will not be easy to for them to narrow their differences, even if the talks do eventually start."

Paper umbrellas hang at the protest zone in Admiralty: Photo K.Y. Cheng

A woman walks by tents on a bridge over Gloucester Road. Photo: Felix Wong

A student addresses protesters at the Mong Kok Occupy site. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

3.15pm: A few more significant lines from this afternoon's press conference:

CY Leung again rejected students' demands for public nomination of chief executive candidates. He also rejected suggestions that a "supplementary report" could be submitted to the national legislature reflecting the outcome of the talks, arguing that the government had already made its submissions from the last public consultation on the issue.

When asked what he hoped to achieve in the meeting with protesters, he said he hoped he could make them understand that Beijing's decision cannot be altered and that he wants to explore ways that the protesters and government can work together within the limits of the Basic Law and the NPC's decision.

On the protesters demands for a 'Western-style democracy", he said: "We don't find civic nominations in all western democracies".

3pm: Raymond Tam Chi-yuen, secretary for constitutional and mainland affairs, said students should see 2017 as the “beginning of a new chapter” for Hong Kong and be patient in their quest for democracy.

2.55pm: The decision of the NPC on electoral reform cannot be revised, Leung says, adding that the government is willing to speak to protesters about what can be done within the framework laid down by Beijing. "Politics is the art of the possible", Leung says.

He stressed that the Sino-British Joint Declaration does not contain the words "univeral suffrage".

The wording of the declaration reads: "The chief executive will be appointed by the Central People's Government on the basis of the results of elections or consultations to be held locally."

CY Leung and Raymond Tam take part in a televised news conference

2.50pm: Leung says the protests had "severely affected" Hong Kong society, and that police had shown "maximum tolerance" in dealing with demonstrators. More follows...

2.40pm: Chief secretary Carrie Lam says the goverment shelved last Friday's planned meeting with protesters because it was unacceptable that they were using the occasion to incite more people to join a mass sit-in. More follows...

2.35pm: CY Leung says the government is working on three areas: holding and maintaining a dialogue with protesters - which could come as soon as next week; restoring order in Hong Kong and getting traffic flowing across the city; and starting the second round of consultation on electoral reform "with a view to taking forward our constitutional development" in the fourth quarter of this year.

He says he hopes dialogue with the Federation of Students can resume as soon as next week as conversations through middlemen are ongoing, adding that a university vice-chancellor could chair the dialogue. He says a one-time negotiation will not be sufficient to bridge political differences, suggesting several round of talks could take place.

Negotiations, he says, have to be based on Basic Law and and the decision by the National People's Congress on the election of the next chief executive.

Leung says the objective of the dialogue is to seek consensus on how to implement "one man, one vote" for the 2017 chief executive election.

2.25pm: Chief Executive CY Leung says at a press conference the government is willing to enter into talks with the Federation of Students.

2.05pm: Some police officers are managing to maintain a sense of humour in Mong Kok as they patrol near the Occupy site.

"OK! Your concern has been heard. Time for lunch. You’d better go to a yum cha place before all the seats are taken," one officer tells an anti-Occupy protester as he breaks up an argument.

Seeing a crowd gather as an anti-Occupy protester yells, another police officer jokes: "What's there to see? It's exactly what happened yesterday and the day before."

Although those who oppose the Occupy movement occasionally come to challenge the occupiers, the atmosphere remains peaceful with the two sides remaining civil during most arguments.

1.55pm: Former Hong Kong governor David Wilson will be among prominent members of Britain’s House of Lords to debate recent developments in Hong Kong in Parliament on Thursday.

The 60-minute debate in London will feature eight speakers, all with links to the former British colony.

1.40pm: Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen Kwok-keung says both police and protesters should abide by the law, in response to questions about the alleged beating of Ken Tsang by a group of police officers yesterday,

"Both police and protesters should not do anything which goes beyond the law," he says upon arrival at Hong Kong International Airport after completing a trip to London.

Yuen says there are established mechanisms to handle complaints against alleged misconduct of police officers. The justice secretary says the complaint could be handled by the Independent Police Complaints Council and if necessary, by judicial process. "I'm sure we can handle the matter in an independent and impartial manner," he says.

Yuen says the government has been sincere about engaging in dialogue with the Federation of Students. "But we hope the students would give goodwill by not insisting on something which can't be realised," he says, referring to the students' demand of the retraction of the National People's Congress Standing Committee's framework on the 2017 chief executive election.

1.30pm: Pro-government lawmaker Leung Che-cheung suggests in a Legco debate that an umbrella is a more "aggressive" weapon than "useless" tear gas and pepper spray.

Leung says that in the classic Wong Fei-hung kung fu movie series, the hero Wong “uses an umbrella” as a weapon to fight his arch-rival and villain Kin, played by actor Shih Kien.

“It is basic common sense that an umbrella can be an aggressive weapon, but many lawmakers are just completely ignorant about history,” Leung says.

“The umbrella can be used as shelter from the rain and the sun, as a walking stick, or as a stick to [protect yourself] from stray dogs … It’s aggressive. But tear gas and pepper spray are useless weapons … because they cannot make protesters fall, they just come back time after time, and the police only defended their cordon after firing tear gas.”

1.20pm: The government announces that Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam, and Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Raymond Tam will meet the press at Government House at 2.15pm.

Stay tuned to the live blog for what could be a major announcement.

1.10pm: A green-fingered protester who has planted more than 30 pots of tomatoes and vegetables at the Admiralty Occupy site says her struggle for democracy has its roots in the controversial development plan for new towns in the northeastern New Territories – a plan that passed despite protests by villagers and other groups.

"If you don’t understand why we’re fighting for democracy, just look at what happened there," says Emily Wong Lai-Ming, an animator in her 40s who has been part of Occupy Central for the past few weeks, spending several nights in a tent with her child.

"There’s a lot of land in Hong Kong that needs to be preserved. Of course development has its benefits but we can’t build over everything. How sincere is the government when it comes to listening to what people have to say before starting a development? Are the committees real checks or just rubber stamps?"

Wong started growing her own food – and doubting the government’s intentions – after visiting a family-owned farm that has existed for generations but lies squarely at the centre of the New Territories development plans.

"Now Hongkongers feel helpless about a lot of things: sky high housing prices, food that’s not safe ... and they’ll complain but it’s like you’re in a black hole and there’s no one to pull you up. But gardening is simple. Sure, it relieves stress and you make your own food, but what’s better is that it shows that you can reduce the world to air, food and water."

When the Occupy movement ends, Wong plans to give the plants to whoever is interested, so more people can learn about agriculture in Hong Kong and how to grow their own food.

Emily Wong tends to tomatoes and vegetables, including kale, that she planted on Sunday. Photo: Alan Yu

12.55pm: Protesters plan to hold an “Umbrella Marathon” tonight, starting from the so-called Lennon Wall in Admiralty at 9pm.

Runners are encouraged to wear yellow for the 4km race.

12.45pm: Protesters face a new enemy in Mong Kok, as occasional wind picks up speed to blow empty tents away.

Volunteers in charge of the camp have to readjust the tents from time to time and reposition them after they are blown away.

12.30pm: Civic Party lawmaker Ronny Tong Ka-wah urges lawmakers and officials to change their attitude and stop heating up the social atmosphere during a debate in Legco over whether it is the police or Occupy Central organisers who have brought chaos to the city.

“We are facing the most serious challenge sine the 1967 [riots], and I thought that after all the storms we have seen over the years, the wise people will find a better solution to solve this,” Tong says.

“It’s a pity that I have only seen an egocentric attitude that power can solve everything. I have not heard much [insights] in this chamber either, on how to solve the social divide … We must lower the temperature, because only by doing that, we might have the chance to lower the temperature outside.

“In the exclusive interview [with TVB last week,] Leung Chun-ying seemed to have forgotten that he is the chief executive, and shirked all his responsibility on the police commanders. But what we are facing is a deep-rooted problem … it’s not a police-citizen relationship problem, not a public order problem, and not a transport problem … Has anyone tried to solve this political problem with political means?”

He says that many people have been ignoring the nuances of the situation in the city saying that they are “eroding social unity and increasing [the] social divide”.

“I don’t want to use Regina Ip as an example … but she said ‘there is political screening everywhere!’ I don’t know if she needs to take exams for her politics [masters degree at Stanford], but she’s bound to fail if she cites such a theory,” Tong countered.

11.30am: Tourism sector lawmaker Yiu Si-wing says Occupy Central could cause hotel occupancy from October to December to drop to a 10-year low.

“Hotel booking for October to December is lower than expected, while many are asking for their booking to be cancelled – so the occupancy rate of some relatively large hotels could drop to about 50 to 60 per cent in the next two months [compared with a year ago],” he says.

For the first two weeks this month, outgoing travel sales also decreased by 20 per cent, compared with a year ago.

“There are 1,700 travel agencies in Hong Kong, and more than 90 per cent of them are small and medium enterprises … by the end of the year, if they do not have enough cash when they have to pay their bills, many of them could close down,” Yiu warns.

11.15am: A minor row breaks out in Mong Kok between police and protesters after officers let a man accused of spitting at the protest camp go with a warning. “No one trusts you any more," a protester says to the policemen. "You're just like those cops [who allegedly assaulted Ken Tsang]," says another.

"We warned this man that if he came and did it again, we would give him a ticket," a policeman explains to protesters. "However, if he spat at a protester, we would arrest him immediately because that's a case of assault."

The officer says his job has not become more difficult since the Ken Tsang incident, because it has been difficult since the start of the protests anyway.

"It might give the protesters one more excuse," he says. "But the hardest thing is there seems to be no more mutual trust [between police and members of the public] any more."

Some camera-shy protesters in Mong Kok don't want to be photographed. Photo: Chris Lau

11am: Pro-government lawmaker Ip Kwok-him, who chairs the Legislative Council's security panel, criticises protesters for creating “a serious social divide” as Legco debates the protests.

“Where is the peace that Occupy Central organisers were talking about?” Ip asks. “The protesters chanted ‘Save our Hong Kong by ourselves’, but in fact, this is now ‘Destroy our Hong Kong by ourselves’. They said Occupy Central is blooming everywhere, but in fact, there is fighting everywhere.”

Former security minister and New People’s Party chairwoman Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee also accuses pan-democratic lawmakers of misleading the public.

“Public nomination is not an international standard, it is mainly found in many totalitarian states such as Russia, Angola, Kazakhstan and Guinea Bissau. There is nothing as a ‘one size fits all’ [political system],” she says.

She also reiterates that the police have been doing a good job.

But Democratic Party lawmaker Sin Chung-kai disagrees. He says on September 28, the protest in Admiralty only spread to Harcourt Road after police officers tried to stop people from going to Tim Mei Avenue, the only protest zone at that time.

“The police’s operation failed,” Sin says.

10.45am: Some 50 protesters are queuing in line for food at the Civic Passion tent in Admiralty.

Truth Wong, 65, has donated breakfast to protesters for the past three days. She’s been coming with a friend, pushing a small cart loaded with a box of fresh rice crepes that they buy early in the morning. They combine sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, peanut sauce, soy sauce, oil and yeast flakes to make a savoury snack.

Wong lives in Kowloon and says the ingredients probably set her back around HK$200 each day. She says it's a small contribution to the democracy movement compared to the protesters camping at the site.

"My generation should have taken care of this, and I'm ashamed that we've left it to the younger generation to wrap up," she says.

She says she's proud of the maturity shown by students at the protest sites, saying they have cleaned toilets without being asked. She also says she's heartbroken at the images of an alleged police beating of a protester released yesterday.

"The government is going to lose this struggle either way, because it exposed its ugliest side," she says, adding she'll be back again tomorrow at 9am with more rice crepes.

Truth Wong and friend prepare breakfast for protesters in Admiralty. Photo: Alan Yu

10.40am: Professor Lau Siu-kai, a former head of the Hong Kong government's Central Policy Unit and now vice-president of the Beijing-backed Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, says the protests are "mainly caused by internal factors in Hong Kong", contrary to Beijing's branding of the Occupy movement as a "colour revolution" backed by foreign powers.

He says it is evident that Western political leaders have supported the Occupy movement in a more high-profile way than before and that Western institutions such as the National Democratic Institute in the US had supported local pan-democrat organisations.

However, he does not believe foreign political forces are playing a key role in the movement.

"They would not be allocating too many resources here because the chances of toppling the Hong Kong government are low," he said on RTHK, drawing comparison with revolutions elsewhere, such as Ukraine and Tunisia.

10.30am: How would you rate the overall performance of police during the Occupy protests?

10.15am: A section of the eastbound lane in Yee Wo Street on Causeway remains occupied by protesters this morning. Some 20 people and 20 tents are in the occupied area. The scene is peaceful and quiet.

Meanwhile in Mong Kok, some 100 protesters are hanging around along Nathan Road, greeted by the occasional soothing breeze. Among them is Wong Yeung-tat, founder of activist group Civic Passion.

Scores of tents are still anchored firmly to the ground and as the breeze strengthens, protesters scramble to reinforce their shelters.

About a dozen police officers can be seen, mainly stationed at the junction of Argyle Street and Nathan Road.

Police on duty behind the barricades on Tim Wa Avenue in Admiralty have brought chairs out so they can sit comfortably and check their phones. Photo: Alan Yu

10am: The US says it is “deeply concerned” by reports of Ken Tsang’s alleged beating by police, calling for a “swift, transparent and complete” investigation of the incident.

“We renew our call for the Hong Kong government to show restraint and for protesters to continue to express their views peacefully,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. Psaki hailed Hong Kong’s “well-established tradition of respect for the rule of law and internationally recognised fundamental freedoms” and said they were crucial to the city’s success.

9.30am: Harry's View on Thursday:

 

[Helder Postiga]

Re: Hong Kong Occupy Protest rears its NWO Satanic 666 hand signal...


CY Leung puts talks back on the table but insists Beijing’s election rules here to stay

But Beijing's election rules here to stay, he insists; police accused of beating protester suspended

PUBLISHED : Thursday, 16 October, 2014, 11:10pm
UPDATED : Thursday, 16 October, 2014, 11:12pm

Staff Reporters

Chief Secretary Carrie Lam, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Raymond Tam, and Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying speak to the press at Government House. Photo: Felix Wong

The chief executive expressed hope yesterday that talks between top officials and student leaders could start next week in an effort to resolve the political impasse that has paralysed parts of Hong Kong and divided the community.

But Leung Chun-ying again rejected any possibility of Beijing backing down on the stringent framework for the 2017 chief executive election that triggered almost three weeks of widespread sit-ins and protests.

His comments came amid news that seven police officers alleged to have beaten Civic Party member Ken Tsang Kin-chiu early on Wednesday had been suspended.

Leung said several middlemen conveyed the government's desire for talks to the Federation of Students.

But he added: "The dialogue has to be based on the Basic Law and the decision by the National People's Congress Standing Committee." The decision ruled out public nomination of candidates, which is central to the students' demands.

"There is no issue of making a compromise or not. We can't turn something unlawful into lawful," Leung said.

He said the government had suggested a university president serve as moderator for the talks and had agreed the talks could last for more the one round.

No comment could be obtained last night from Chinese University vice-chancellor Professor Joseph Sung Jao-yiu, who has been tipped as a possible moderator. A university spokesman said Sung was out of town.

The government's renewed effort to engage the students came a week after top officials called off a meeting with protest leaders on the eve of the talks.

Responding to suggestions that a "supplementary report" could be submitted to Beijing to reflect the outcome of the talks, Leung said it would be "hard to argue" that the central government was not aware of pan-democrats' demands.

He said the government would launch the second round of consultation on political reform for the 2017 election in the fourth quarter of the year.

Leung insisted that the talks and the clearance of protest sites were separate matters.

He did not rule out the possibility of further clearance of protest sites during the dialogue.

Civic Party lawmaker Alan Leong Kah-kit said he hoped the federation would agree to the talks, though he doubted Leung's sincerity. "It's important for [Leung's] lack of sincerity to be exposed to both the Hong Kong public and the world by this so-called dialogue," Leong said.

With the Occupy Central movement entering its third week, a study by Bank of America Merrill Lynch estimated the protests were causing a loss of HK$105 million per day to the economy.

"If we assume the Occupy Central movement causes a 10 to 15 per cent drop on tourism-related revenue, tourism contribution per day will drop by HK$26 million to HK$39 million," the report said. A 2 per cent hit on private consumption would translate into a drop of HK$72 million, it said.

The investment bank cut the forecast for Hong Kong's economic growth this year from 2.3 per cent to 1.9 per cent and lowered the forecast for next year from 2.5 per cent to 2.1 per cent.

Gary Cheung, Joyce Ng, Samuel Chan and Tony Cheung

 

[KimJongUn]

Re: Hong Kong Occupy Protest rears its NWO Satanic 666 hand signal...



China blocks BBC website after video shows Hong Kong police beating protester

October 16, 2014 7:58AM

HONG Kong’s justice chief insists that any prosecution of plainclothes officers who were filmed beating a handcuffed protester will be handled impartially, as fresh clashes broke out on the city’s streets.

The accused officers were removed from their posts after the assault, which occurred early on Wednesday when police swooped to clear newly erected barricades blocking a road near government headquarters in the city’s Admiralty district.

Just 24 hours later a small contingent of protesters attempted to retake an underpass on the same road, leading to a confrontation that saw protesters pepper-sprayed and police heckled with chants accusing them of links with criminal triad gangs.

Uproar ... pro-democracy protester Ken Tsang is taken away by police before his alleged beating. Picture: AFP PHOTO/Philippe Lopez Source: AFP

The BBC’s website was blocked in China, hours after a video of Hong Kong police beating and kicking a pro-democracy protester began circulating online.

The move appears to be the first time the British broadcaster’s English-language website has been completely blocked in China since December 2010, when it was inaccessible for days before the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony for Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo.

In a statement on Wednesday, BBC director of global news Peter Horrocks said the move against the Chinese-language website “appears to be deliberate censorship”.

Capsicum sprayed ... the video appears to show Hong Kong police officers dragging a pro-democracy from the protest site. Source: Supplied

“The BBC strongly condemns any attempts to restrict free access to news and information and we are protesting to the Chinese authorities,” Horrocks said.

“The BBC provides impartial, trusted news to millions of people around the world, and attempts to censor our news services show just how important it is to get our accurate information to them.”

In a Twitter posting on Wednesday, BBC’s Asia bureau chief Jo Floto noted that Chinese authorities also have a “usual practice of blacking out BBC World during Hong Kong reports.

Crowds numbering in the tens of thousands have blocked main roads in three districts of the semi-autonomous Chinese city since September 28, protesting at what they call “fake democracy” offered by Beijing.

Assault ... the footage shows the man being taken to a secluded area before the bashing. Source: Supplied

They are angered at China’s insistence that it vet candidates standing for election as the city’s next leader in 2017.

On a visit to London, Hong Kong’s Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen said he had not seen the footage of the alleged assault but told AFP there were “very well-established procedures” in Hong Kong to handle police complaints.

Referring to any possible criminal prosecutions arising from the alleged police beating, Yuen said: “I can guarantee that if there is any need to move in that direction, my department will handle the matter in an independent and impartial manner.”

Brutal ... Hong Kong police officers appear to bash and kick the protester as he lies defenceless on the ground. Source: Supplied

China’s Communist Party oversees a vast censorship system that aggressively blocks sites or snuffs out internet and TV content and commentary on topics considered sensitive, such as Beijing’s human rights record and criticisms of the government.

The New York Times and Bloomberg have had their websites blocked in China since they published investigations in 2012 into the family wealth of former premier Wen Jiabao and President Xi Jinping respectively.

As pro-democracy protests in China’s semi-autonomous region of Hong Kong escalated late last month, online censors moved to block the photo-sharing app Instagram, which joined Facebook, YouTube and Twitter as popular social media platforms inaccessible in mainland China.

The blocking of the BBC’s website came as a video of Hong Kong police beating a pro-democracy protester went viral on the internet.

In the video, released by Hong Kong television network TVB, a group of six plainclothes officers are shown assaulting a handcuffed and unarmed protester identified as Ken Tsang.

 

[Asterix]

Re: Give me Liberty or Give me Death! Giordano Tycoon joins Occupy Central!

Sinkieland's press is far worse
But it's good that in Fragrant Harbour
They are alert to any infringements
On cherished freedom of expression


Is talk of foreign 'interference' and revolution a story too far for Hong Kong media?
Albert Cheng [Teochew nang in Hongkieland just like Li Ka-Shing, see link for details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Cheng what is the colour of the kar ch$ng again?)] says muted coverage of US senators' call for Obama to support Hong Kong's democratic movement raises questions about press freedom

In Chinese politics, it seems, a rose by any other name would not smell as sweet. It is customary for the Chinese Communist Party to hammer out an official "determination" of the nature of a political phenomenon to justify its subsequent action against opponents.

In April 1989, the China Daily labelled the student anti-corruption protests in Tiananmen Square a counter-revolutionary riot engineered by a tiny minority whose ulterior motive was to conspire to oust the party and the country's political system. The provocative editorial served as the guiding thought for the subsequent military crackdown on the student movement in June.

In the West, Hong Kong's campaign for a genuine democratic arrangement to elect the next chief executive in 2017 has been termed an "umbrella revolution". The term has touched a raw nerve at the top in Beijing. Local activists have urged the media to refrain from calling their actions a revolution, which might form the basis of an iron-fisted response to their demands, which have nothing to do with the mainland ruling system.
Scholarism and the Hong Kong Federation of Students - the engine behind the street demonstrations - have co-written to President Xi Jinping , seeking to convince him they are not about to start a revolution and have nothing to do with any foreign forces.

Last weekend, in Russia, Vice-Premier Wang Yang said Western countries had been backing the opposition camp to foment a "colour revolution" in Hong Kong. Other mainland officials said the same. The tone and manner in which Chinese officials have been denouncing the Occupy movement are reminiscent of what led to the 1989 crackdown.

Wang's statement followed a petition by 23 US senators urging US President Barack Obama to act in support of the Hong Kong democratic movement. It was frowned upon as another piece of evidence that the US is indeed the "black hand" behind Occupy.

The statesmen urged Obama to speak out personally in support of the "umbrella movement". The letter reminded Obama that he is empowered to impose economic sanctions on China. "The US-Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992 states that it is US policy to help preserve Hong Kong's unique status and to support democratisation in Hong Kong. As you know, the act also authorises you to suspend trade and economic provisions should Beijing not provide sufficient autonomy for Hong Kong as outlined by the Joint Declaration."

It added: "Beijing's backsliding on its commitments under the Sino-British Joint Declaration poses a significant threat to Hong Kong's position as a centre of international trade and finance and adds to concerns about China's commitment as a responsible participant in the international system. Over the past week, the people of Hong Kong have reminded the world what is at stake. We urge you and your administration to take demonstrable, meaningful steps to help ensure that Beijing maintains its commitments to the people of Hong Kong."

It is rare for almost a quarter of the assembly, including many political heavyweights, to have co-signed a petition. They want Obama to act either before, or while he attends, next month's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Beijing.

Political inclinations aside, this concerted effort is undeniably newsworthy. Yet, oddly, none of the mainstream news media seems to have covered it in print or online. It would appear that, in the eyes of media proprietors, it would be politically incorrect to amplify this foreign action to "interfere" with Hong Kong and, by extension, Chinese domestic affairs. None wants to risk being on the wrong side in this, which Beijing considers to be a matter of national security.

For those who thrive on conspiracy theories, the senators' action is a godsend - proving there is indeed a foreign scheme against China. What is hard to understand is that even the likes of Apple Daily did not to report the senators' initiative.

Perhaps the newspaper is so involved with Occupy that it does not want to further complicate matters by being accused of "colluding with foreign powers"? Perhaps there are other reasons. Either way, the public has a right to know.

International media have not paid Hong Kong much attention since the 1997 handover and their coverage and analysis of the current situation pales by comparison to that of the local news corps. But are accusations of a foreign-incited revolution now too much for the Hong Kong press to bear?

The free flow of information and a vigorous media are the cornerstones of all other civil liberties, on which Hong Kong is able to thrive as an international financial hub. Sadly, our strong tradition of press freedom seems to have started to rot - from within. It is up to Hong Kong citizens to stop it getting worse.

Albert Cheng King-hon is a political commentator. [email protected]

http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight...nterference-and-revolution-story-too-far-hong

 

[Helder Postiga]

Re: Give me Liberty or Give me Death! Giordano Tycoon joins Occupy Central!


Traffic returns to Mong Kok after police tear down barriers in dawn operation

Protesters regroup on southbound lane of Nathan Road after hundreds of officers surrounded protest site and removed barricades

PUBLISHED : Friday, 17 October, 2014, 6:27am
UPDATED : Friday, 17 October, 2014, 1:33pm

Staff reporters

Traffic returned to the streets of one of the busiest areas of the city this morning after police launched a dawn operation to clear Occupy Mong Kok.

Nathan Road northbound and Argyle Street were reopened to traffic after police removed barricades, tents, shrines and umbrellas. Police officers on motorbikes then escorted the first civilian vehicles to pass along the Kowloon thoroughfares in the past three weeks.

At 11am, a group of 200 protesters had regrouped and were staging a sit-in on the southbound lane of Nathan Road between Argyle Street and Nelson Street, which remained closed to traffic.

Police move the barricades aside. Photo: Felix Wong

Lines of police officers advanced towards some 30 protesters early this morning at the intersection of Nathan Road and Argyle Street – the centre of Occupy Mong Kok – and surrounded them within minutes. Other officers dismantled the barricades behind the police cordon. Police then proceeded to remove tents at the intersection.

Police adopted a new tactic this morning, with Police Senior Superintendent Catherine Kwan Chui-ching announcing at a 5am press conference that the force would take imminent action to remove road blocks, but would allow protesters to stay at the site. However, as she spoke, hundreds of police officers, many in riot gear, began to dismantle barricades at the intersection of Nathan Road and Portland Street.

As the operation continued, police officers on the ground insisted there was no plan to remove demonstrators but by 6.30am, trucks with cranes had removed what was left of the Occupy Mong Kok main tent.

A protester yells at the police. Photo: Felix Wong

Leung Chi-chuen, 51, said his fellow protesters did not have enough time to pack their personal belongings before they were told to leave. ”We would not rule out the option of blocking other roads later,” Leung said.

Others said they would come back. ”Everyone will come back out again,” said sales manager Larry Choi, adding that he had expected the police operation for days.

Following the operation, Police Senior Superintendent Kwan repeated the official line that the protest site had not been cleared.

Protesters watch police remove barricades. Photo: Felix Wong

"We did not clear the area, because protesters still have ample space to express their views, and we set up a demonstration area on the pedestrian zone by Wai Fung Plaza on Argyle Street," she said.

"The point of the operation was to remove the illegal obstacles blocking the road, and at the request of the protesters, we set up a spot for them.

"Most protesters were cooperative and left the area, so the operation went fairly smoothly.”

Before and after: Police Senior Superintendent Catherine Kwan swapped hats after an earlier mistake. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Kwan urged all protesters "still illegally occupying the roads" to leave.

Kwan was also at the centre of controversy this morning when she wore a hat with the badge of the Royal Hong Kong Police from the British colonial period, prior to the 1997 handover.

“I did indeed wear the wrong hat this morning, and that has now been rectified” she said. “Sorry about that. I think this is a slip-up on my part and has nothing to do with the image of the police force."

Residents and workers in the area mostly welcomed the police clearance of the Occupy site as bus services resumed on Nathan Road.

An escalator maintenance worker, surnamed Sze, said he had to walk almost half an hour to work from Mong Kok to Sham Shui Po when bus services were suspended.

"It has been disturbing and noisy when the protesters make speeches at night,” Sze said.

A taxi crossing Nathan Road on Friday morning. Photo: Silvio Carrillo

A 70-year-old cleaner at a karaoke bar in Mong Kok, surnamed Tse, said she was more concerned about losing her job if the protest continued than the disruption to public transport.

"Customers are simply not coming when the roads are blocked," Tse said, adding that protesters could demonstrate as long as their actions did not affect others.

The police operation this morning followed operations this week to remove barricades and reopen roads to traffic in Admiralty and Causeway Bay.

Some business owners were not satisfied after occupiers began the sit-in on Nathan Road after the protest site was cleared.

"This is useless. And even worse. Who will come over to this side now?" said a man surnamed Wong, whose Chinese herbs shop is right next to the new protest site. He said that business had dropped 90 per cent in the last few weeks and hoped there would be a full clearance soon.

Wong's neighbour, another shop owner who did not identify himself said: "The partial resumption is a good start. I hope that the situation will be resolved completely."

Sit-in participant Avery Ng Man-yuen, vice-chairman of the League of Social Democrats, said he would stay to safeguard the protest site in the southbound lane of Nathan Road. He said the police suggestion that protesters move to a designated demonstration site on a pavement nearby was "unacceptable".

"We will watch over Mong Kok. The most important thing next is that the government listens to our calls," he said.

Demonstrators continue to demand a free choice in the election of the city’s next chief executive in 2017. However, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying called on protesters yesterday to accept that the central government in Beijing would not give in to their demands as he appealed to students to begin negotiations to end the political deadlock.

Meanwhile in Admiralty, hundreds of protesters spent the night outside the government offices there.

At around 6am, one group of protesters attempted to reoccupy Lung Wo Road. Police officers quickly removed the makeshift barricades they erected and the flow of traffic resumed.

Cleaners start tearing off protester's posters on the windows of the HSBC bank on Nathan Road. Photo: Felix Wong

Some 30 people and 25 tents remained at the protest site at Yee Wo Street in Causeway Bay this morning. Asked whether they were worried about the removal of barricades in Mong Kok, some protesters said that it would be difficult to defend the Causeway Bay site due to their low numbers.

"How could you expect us to summon another 200 people to come? If the police come to clear our site, I will just ask them to give me some time to pack my stuff," said protester Angel Szeto.

"What can we actually do? We can only be peaceful and rational. It is alright for them to remove our barricades, we will not resist," said Eric Wu, a 37-year-old construction worker.

In the Legislative Council, a marathon debate on the Occupy Central protest and the police’s handling of it entered a third day this morning.

Information technology representative and pan-democrat Charles Mok said security minister Lai Tung-kwok had been too protective of the police force.

He warned that such support could backfire, as it would encourage policemen to see protesters as their enemies.

“Your enemy’s enemy is not an enemy, so when [alleged triad members attacked] protesters in Mong Kok, the police just let [most of] them go and weren’t being fair enough,” Mok said.

However, engineering sector lawmaker Lo Wai-kwok countered that the police has been under immense pressure handling protests, and the pan-democratic lawmakers should give “fairer” comments about what happened.

Alan Yu, Peter So, Danny Mok, Tony Cheung, Elizabeth Cheung

 

[Helder Postiga]

Re: Hong Kong Occupy Protest rears its NWO Satanic 666 hand signal...


Occupy Central says government lacks sincerity as police tear down Mong Kok barricades

Protesters regroup on southbound lane of Nathan Road after hundreds of officers surrounded protest site and removed barricades

PUBLISHED : Friday, 17 October, 2014, 6:27am
UPDATED : Friday, 17 October, 2014, 6:30pm

Staff reporters

Protesters regroup in Mong Kok. Photo: Edward Wong

Emotional stress has plagued frontline police officers, admitted chief superintendent of Police Public Relations Branch Hui Chun-tak, when answering a media questions on whether psychological stability affects police officers and their ability to control emotions while handling protesters.

Hui said the police psychological support unit has received many more calls for assistance from police officers recently, but did not divulge the actual number. “Frontline colleagues are deeply emotionally spent,” he said.

His answers came as more reports of alleged police brutality surfaced over the past two days, following a video that allegedly showed seven officers beating up protester and Civic Party member Ken Tsang in a dark corner in Tamar Park.

Hui said the police are still waiting to take Tsang’s testimony, so the seven police officers allegedly involved have only been suspended from duty at this stage.

Hui also warned protesters against instigating further flash mob action, such as the one on Johnston Road last night, where a group of about ten men threw plastic cones out onto the street, before running off. One of them pushed a bystander to the ground as he tried to stop them. The bystander was taken to the hospital later and the case is being treated as assault.

"Lack of sincerity”

Occupy Central condemned the government for a “lack of sincerity” after police tore down barriers in Mong Kok this morning, saying the move would only create obstacles for forthcoming talks with students.

The pro-democracy movement questioned the government’s sincerity in engaging in dialogue following a dawn operation that returned traffic to the streets in one of the busiest areas of the city in a dawn operation.

“Police removed barricades in Mong Kok 15 hours after [chief executive] Leung Chun-ying said engaging in dialogue didn’t mean the government would not clear the protest sites. We think it amounts to an open insult to the intelligence of Hong Kong people,” Occupy Central said in a statement.

“If [the government] continues to clear protest sites gradually under the disguise of removing barricades, it would only provoke more people to take to streets.”

Jewellery shops closed for the day on Nathan Road. Photo: Chris Lau

Nathan Road northbound and Argyle Street were reopened to traffic after police removed barricades, tents, shrines and umbrellas. Police officers on motorbikes then escorted the first civilian vehicles to pass along the Kowloon thoroughfares in the past three weeks.

However a group of at least 300 protesters regrouped and staged a sit-in on the southbound lane of Nathan Road between Argyle Street and Shantung Street, which remained closed to traffic. Police appealed to the demonstrators to leave the traffic lanes and instead use a designated area of the pavement outside Wai Fung Plaza on Nathan Road.

The police action seemed to have an adverse effect however, as passersby clogged up the pavement and jewellery shops – which had been open during the protests – were forced to close temporarily.

Police set up barricades between the pavement and the part of Nathan Road occupied by protesters to avoid conflicts after the pathway outside Wai Fung Plaza became a popular spot for detractors of the Occupy movement to voice their discontent.

Protesters regrouped to stage a sit-in on Nathan Road. Photo: Edward Wong

Some 40 members of activist group Civic Passion were among the protesters along with members of the Federation of Students.

“We want to let the people here know we will fight side by side with them until the end,” said the federation’s Ivan Lau.

He said the student group would have a meeting later today to discuss their dialogue with the government, as well as the situation in Mong Kok. But the students had not yet decided their next move, he said.

Civic Passion founder Wong Yeung-tat said the media had misreported the police operation in Mong Kok this morning.

“Police were not trying to shrink our protest zone, but were trying to kick us out,” he said.

“Thankfully, more protesters came this morning so we managed to hold our ground.”

A protester yells at the police. Photo: Felix Wong

He added that he and his fellow Civic Passion members would only join the occupation of a new site if it was a decision made by the majority of the group.

Clerk Henry Lau, who came to Mong Kok after learning about the clearance on television this morning, said he would support further occupation.

“I think occupying streets is already a tactic that requires the lowest costs,” he said.

“We need to pay the price for democracy.”

Lines of police officers advanced towards some 30 protesters early this morning at the protest camp at the intersection of Nathan Road and Argyle Street and surrounded them within minutes. Other officers dismantled the barricades behind the police cordon. Police then proceeded to remove tents at the intersection.

The operation in Mong Kok followed the removal of barricades and reopening of roads to traffic in Admiralty and Causeway Bay earlier this week. “Police will continue to take action to clear barriers on traffic lanes in other districts in appropriate time,” the force said in a statement.

Police move the barricades aside. Photo: Felix Wong

Some 80 protesters remained at the Occupy site at Yee Wo Street in Causeway Bay this afternoon. Asked whether they were worried about the removal of barricades in Mong Kok, some protesters said that it would be difficult to defend the Causeway Bay site due to their low numbers.

“How could you expect us to summon another 200 people to come? If the police come to clear our site, I will just ask them to give me some time to pack my stuff,” said protester Angel Szeto.

Concluding a 17-hour debate on the protests in the Legislative Council, Secretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok reiterated the government’s support for the police.

Commenting on several policemen’s alleged attack on the Civic Party’s Ken Tsang Kin-chiu on Wednesday, Lai said the police would handle the case “seriously and fairly” and “not tolerate any illegal behaviour by police officers”.

Traffic returns to Nathan Road under police escort. Photo: Felix Wong

We have the system and law in place to handle the matter. We should not politicise it, nor should we allow an isolated event to affect our evaluation on the police,” he said.

Lai also reiterated that the police fired tear gas on September 28 only to “create a safe distance” between officers and protesters who were charging the police cordon.

“On that day, if protesters broke through the cordon, many people could fall down and hurt themselves … and citizens would also blame the police for not enforcing the law swiftly.

“Occupy Central [protests have lasted for almost three weeks], I hope everyone can find a solution to resolve the stalemate, and replace continuing struggles with a selfless heart, a peaceful mind … and inclusive and rational talks.”

Chris Lau, Alan Yu, Peter So, Danny Mok, Tony Cheung, Elizabeth Cheung, Raquel Carvalho

 

[Helder Postiga]

Re: Give me Liberty or Give me Death! Giordano Tycoon joins Occupy Central!


Chaos in Mong Kok as police use batons, pepper spray to repel surge of protesters

PUBLISHED : Friday, 17 October, 2014, 6:27am
UPDATED : Saturday, 18 October, 2014, 1:34am

Staff Reporters

Protesters shield themselves with umbrellas as police fire pepper spray at the crowd. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Traffic has once again been brought to a standstill in Mong Kok. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Protesters brace for the use of pepper spray by police. Photo: May Tse

Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Clashes between police and protesters continued into the early hours of Saturday morning in multiple locations across Mong Kok, causing a blockade of both Nathan Road and Argyle Street.

By 1am, police had pulled back from the crowd and formed a cordon at the junction of Argyle Street and Nathan Road.

After midnight, police were forced to retreat from Nathan Road northwards, as more protesters flooded into the area - with several picking up metal barriers as they arrived.

At Lung Wo Road in Admiralty, protesters dashed onto the road in a bid to stop traffic. Police with masks and batons pushed protesters back onto the pavement and warned then they would be arrested if they tried to block the road again.

Occupy Central movement issued a statement condemning Chief Executive CY Leung’s administration for launching clearance operations before dialogue with students resumed.

“The clearance has triggered off a new round of occupations and worsened the relationship between police and citizens,” the statement read.

The situation remained tense outside the Wing Lung Bank Centre as protesters spilled from southbound Nathan Road into the northbound lanes, seeking to advance in the direction of Yau Ma Tei. Protesters opened umbrellas and were pepper sprayed by police on more than one occassion.

In repeated confrontations on other sections of the road, riot police formed a line charging towards protesters with their batons drawn, forcing protesters without umbrellas to retreat.

At Lung Wo Road outside government headquarters in Admiralty, a teenage girl and boy were taken away by police, after some protesters dashed onto the road in a bid to stop traffic.

Police have brought dogs to deter protesters from approaching the road, which has been periodically blocked by flash mobs over the past few nights.

Meanwhile, other groups of protesters advanced towards Argyle Street from Sai Yeung Choi South Street, Portland Street and Shanghai Street. Protesters dropped coins on the road when traffic lights turned green and continued to stay there picking up the coins when lights turned red.

Some buses were stuck on Argyle Street and Shanghai Street and traffic was severely disrupted. A new blockade has been erected by protesters on Dundas Street using bamboo poles and rubbish bins.

The Foreign Correspondents’ Club issued a statement late on Friday to condemn the detention of an expatriate journalist who was covering the Occupy protests in Mong Kok.

The statement said award-winning Getty photographer Paula Bronstein was detained by police during the protests, adding that other journalists at the scene had also been threatened with use of force.

“These tactics are a flagrant violation of the media’s right to report this unfolding story,” the FCC statement read. It also demanded the immediate release of Bronstein and an end to the intimidation.

As Mong Kok was plunged into chaos, crowds also started to mill around the edge of Lung Wo Road in Admiralty late on Friday.

The police have cordoned off the pedestrian walkway from Tamar Park down to the chief executive's office, forcing protesters to gather on the other side of Lung Wo Road.

About 150 people are congregated there, less than the previous night, and two police dogs have been spotted among police ranks in preparation for any possible confrontation.

Earlier, Alex Chow of the Federation of Students confirmed that both his group and the government have agreed to meet next Tuesday, with both sides sending five representatives to talks that would be broadcast live on RTHK.

Chaotic scenes erupted in Mong Kok on Friday night after heated clashes and a stand-off between police and protesters bought traffic in the area to a standstill once again.

Clashes broke out in Mong Kok between protesters and police shortly after 7.30pm, triggered by a protester who attempted to remove a police barricade tried to enter the northbound lane of Nathan Road near Wai Fung Plaza.

A police inspector then took out his baton after his lower-ranking colleague failed to secure that barricade. The red flag was raised, and the inspector used his baton to hit back a yellow tent held by protesters in the front row. He also aimed his swings at protesters' umbrellas.

The stand-off ensues in Mong Kok. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

At one point, protesters started removing barricades set up off Wai Fung Plaza trying to break through to the northbound lane of Nathan Road. Police officers quickly pushed them back and used pepper spray to stop them.

Scores of officers armed with riot gear soon arrived and clashed with protesters. Police were then seen swinging their batons spontaneously and pressing their shields against the crowd in an attempt to push them back to the protest zone.

At 9.45pm, police issued a statement to “strongly condemn” the actions of protesters occupying roads in Mong Kok for “endangering public order and public safety”.

“They wilfully blocked major thoroughfares, charged police cordon lines and shoved police officers to the ground,” the statement said.

Three police officers were injured in scuffles: one with a head injury, one with a dislocated shoulder and one with a hand injury respectively, police said, urgin people not to go to the area.

Police remove a protester from Nathan Road. Photo: May Tse

Yan Chan, who was in the front row at the time, said the police's handling was inappropriate.

"They started using pepper spray very quickly after flags were raised," said the 24-year-old.

Chan said he was pushed by police officers with shields. "The crowd couldn't retreat fast enough but they kept pushing forward," he said.

"There was no fighting back by the protesters at all," he added.

During the scuffles, a man was subdued by several police officers after he allegedly grabbed an officer's baton and refused to let go. He was handcuffed and taken away.

Two other men were also taken away after 9pm after they tried to rush to the northbound lane of Nathan Road.

Police were forced to close both the north and southbound lanes on a section of Nathan Road in Mong Kok. Argyle Street was also later closed to traffic, cordoned off by police cars.

This morning, traffic on Argyle Street and northbound on Nathan Road had resumed after police operations, leaving protesters to gather on the southbound lane of Nathan Road.

Photo: May Tse

Scholarism leader Joshua Wong Chi-fung on Friday night called on protesters in Admiralty to move there and defend the occupation zone, in view of efforts by police to keep traffic open in Mong Kok,

“If the defence line in Mong Kok is lost, Admiralty will be in danger... If we lose any of our three battlegrounds [Admiralty, Causeway Bay and Mong Kok], the whole movement will suffer a blow,” Wong said as he addressed crowds of protesters in Admiralty.

Addressing the same crowd, Alex Chow of the Federation of Students tells protesters that the attitude of the government over the past few days had been nothing short of ambivalent. "They said they want to resume talks, but then they swept away the streets today."

Chow said there is an "internal conflict" within the ranks of the government and stressed that the proposed meeting with government representatives was just another step along the road to achieving universal suffrage.

The pro-democracy movement earlier questioned the government’s sincerity in engaging in dialogue following a dawn operation that returned traffic to the streets in one of the busiest areas of the city in a dawn operation.

“If [the government] continues to clear protest sites gradually under the disguise of removing barricades, it would only provoke more people to take to streets.”

Emotional stress has plagued frontline police officers, chief superintendent of Police Public Relations Branch Hui Chun-tak admitted on Friday afternoon, when answering a media questions on whether psychological stability affects police officers and their ability to control emotions while handling protesters.

His answers came as more reports of alleged police brutality surfaced over the past two days, following a video that allegedly showed seven officers beating up protester and Civic Party member Ken Tsang in a dark corner in Tamar Park.

Nathan Road northbound and Argyle Street were reopened to traffic after police removed barricades, tents, shrines and umbrellas. Police officers on motorbikes then escorted the first civilian vehicles to pass along the Kowloon thoroughfares in the past three weeks.

Police move the barricades aside. Photo: Felix Wong

The police action seemed to have an adverse effect however, as passersby clogged up the pavement and jewellery shops – which had been open during the protests – were forced to close temporarily.

“We want to let the people here know we will fight side by side with them until the end,” said the federation’s Ivan Lau.

Civic Passion founder Wong Yeung-tat said the media had misreported the police operation in Mong Kok this morning.

“Thankfully, more protesters came this morning so we managed to hold our ground.”

He added that he and his fellow Civic Passion members would only join the occupation of a new site if it was a decision made by the majority of the group.

“I think occupying streets is already a tactic that requires the lowest costs,” he said.

Lines of police officers advanced towards some 30 protesters early this morning at the protest camp at the intersection of Nathan Road and Argyle Street and surrounded them within minutes. Other officers dismantled the barricades behind the police cordon. Police then proceeded to remove tents at the intersection.

“How could you expect us to summon another 200 people to come? If the police come to clear our site, I will just ask them to give me some time to pack my stuff,” said protester Angel Szeto.

Commenting on several policemen’s alleged attack on the Civic Party’s Ken Tsang Kin-chiu on Wednesday, Lai said the police would handle the case “seriously and fairly” and “not tolerate any illegal behaviour by police officers”.

We have the system and law in place to handle the matter. We should not politicise it, nor should we allow an isolated event to affect our evaluation on the police,” he said.

“On that day, if protesters broke through the cordon, many people could fall down and hurt themselves … and citizens would also blame the police for not enforcing the law swiftly.

 

[Helder Postiga]

Re: Give me Liberty or Give me Death! Giordano Tycoon joins Occupy Central!


Protesters form new blockades in Mong Kok after night of chaotic clashes with police

Twenty-six people arrested, including journalist, and more than 60 reportedly injured on both sides during chaos

PUBLISHED : Saturday, 18 October, 2014, 11:45am
UPDATED : Saturday, 18 October, 2014, 12:35pm

Eddie Lee and Danny Lee

A view from Argyle Street on Saturday, where protesters have formed a blockade. Photo: Danny Lee

Protesters fighting for Hong Kong democracy formed new barricades and set up other obstacles on Saturday as they re-occupied some streets in Mong Kok, where violent clashes overnight between crowds and officers led to the arrests of at least 26 people.

Police said as many as 9,000 people thronged and occupied major streets in Mong Kok overnight, as officers armed with riot gear used batons and pepper spray to disperse the crowds.

Police were seen swinging their batons and using their shields to push back protesters in a bid to maintain police cordons. But by morning, pro-democracy demonstrators had claimed new protest zones.

Officers arrested dozens of people during the chaos, including Getty photographer Paula Bronstein, who was taken away after she jumped on a car to take pictures.

The 26 were arrested on suspicion of common assault, criminal damage, disorderly conduct in a public place, assaulting police officers, obstructing police officers and possession of offensive weapons, according to the police.

Authorities also said 15 officers were injured.

Police form a cordon on Argyle Street, facing off with protesters who have formed new barricades. Photo: Danny Lee

Meanwhile, a group of first-aid volunteers based on Shan Tung Street and Nathan Road said on Saturday that they treated at least 50 people for eye, head and other minor injuries caused by police pepper spray and baton charges last night.

Most of the injured were sent to the nearby Kwong Wah hospital, they said. Three people were sent by ambulance – two with head injuries and one with a dislocated shoulder.

Occupy first-aid volunteer Alex, 26, said: “The police were very aggressive and the protesters were very aggressive, and suffered in many conflicts.”

On Saturday, the occupied zone spanned a portion of Argyle Street, near the HSBC building, and a slice of Nathan Road that stretched from the Wai Fung Plaza to Dundas Street. Protesters fortified new defence lines.

Some Occupy supporters also deliberately dropped coins on the ground near the junction of Shanghai Street and Argyle Street in a bid to slow traffic.

As of 6am on Saturday, some Tai Kok Tsui-bound lanes of Argyle Street between Sai Yeung Choi Street South and Nathan Road were closed to all traffic, according to the Transport Department. Many bus routes have been diverted.

The chaos began shortly after 7.30pm on Friday when a protester attempted to remove a police barricade and tried to enter Nathan Road near Wai Fung Plaza. An officer standing guard failed to secure the barricade.

Police used pepper spray and batons to try and disperse the crowds last night. Some 9,000 people massed in Mong Kok, according to authorities. Photo: EPA

A red flag was raised, warning protesters not to charge. At the same time, a police inspector started swinging his baton, hitting the back of a yellow tent and the tops of umbrellas that protesters were using to shield themselves.

At one point, protesters started removing barricades set up near Wai Fung Plaza, trying to break through to the northbound lane of Nathan Road. Police officers quickly pushed them back and used pepper spray to stop them.

For the first time since the Occupy Central action started, the police’s Public Relations Bureau gave a crowd estimate, saying at around 2.30am that 9,000 protesters were illegally occupying Mong Kok streets.

They did not say if this was at the peak of the protests or how they came up with the number. Earlier reports from the scene estimated there were more than a thousand protesters.

Police also issued a statement condemning protesters’ repeated charges at police cordons and attempts to occupy the north-bound lane of Nathan Road, the 3.6-kilometre-long main artery across Kowloon.

Protester Michael Cheng, who refused to have a photograph taken of his face, shows apparent injuries to his head (left) and blood stains on his towel (right). Photos: Danny Lee

Michael Cheng, 23, said he sustained a head injury after being struck with a baton on Sai Yeung Choi Street South. He showed the Post what appeared to be blood stains on his shorts and towel.

"I and the police was separated by barriers, but the police just hit me. I pulled back and I felt my head was wet and then it [got] really painful," said Cheng, who declined hospital treatment.

Meanwhile, the arrest of Bronstein, an American freelance photographer based in Bangkok, was condemned by the Foreign Correspondents Club in Hong Kong.

"No one wants to give you any trouble," a police officer had said to Bronstein, who has worked in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Myanmar, and was a finalist for a 2011 Pulitzer Prize. "I don't know the situation, how you ended up on the car, but ... the owner is pissed about his car."

The FCC said police - in one case with batons - had threatened other reporters who were covering the clashes.

"These tactics are a flagrant violation of the media's right to report this unfolding story," the statement said. "We demand the immediate release of Ms Bronstein and an end to such intimidation." Bronstein was reportedly released on bail this morning.

A University of Science and Technology graduate, surnamed Kwan, said he came to support Occupy Mong Kok after organisers said protesters there needed help. “If Mong Kok falls, Admiralty would be next,” he said.

Another protester, a mainland student from Polytechnic University, said he came out last night to support Hong Kong students’ fight for democracy.

“Hong Kong students are very brave to express their views. It’s different on the mainland. People here are so hot-blooded,” said the student, who gave his surname as Du.

Pro-democracy protesters are seen celebrating after the Hong Kong police lost control of Mong Kok. Photo: EPA

The trouble in Mong Kok flared after officials said on Friday that they were looking for a way to secure a meeting – tentatively set for Tuesday at the Academy of Medicine in Aberdeen – between Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-Ngor and representatives of the Federation of Students.

Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying has insisted the dialogue be based on the National People’s Congress Standing Committee’s decision on the 2017 chief executive election that ruled out public nomination – which is essential to the protesters’ demands.

A source said yesterday the government was looking for ways to address the demands of students while maintaining the integrity of the NPC decision.

The Occupy Central civil disobedience movement had kicked off at dawn of September 28, following a week-long class boycott by students – all to protest against mainland China’s restrictive framework on election reform which essentially barred pan-democratic candidates to run in the 2017 chief executive race.

With additional reporting from Lana Lam

 

[Unrepented]

Re: China blocks bbc website after video shows hong kong police beating protester

Everyday youtube got LIVE coverage:o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TGJ__xYrj8

 

[Unrepented]

Re: China blocks bbc website after video shows hong kong police beating protester

..................

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4R_Mvi-45g

Everyday youtube got LIVE coverage:o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TGJ__xYrj8

 

[Helder Postiga]

Re: Give me Liberty or Give me Death! Giordano Tycoon joins Occupy Central!


Chief Secretary Carrie Lam announces that she will talk to student leaders on Tuesday

PUBLISHED : Saturday, 18 October, 2014, 4:53pm
UPDATED : Saturday, 18 October, 2014, 7:49pm

Staff Reporters

Chief Secretary Carrie Lam and Chief Executive CY Leung. Photo: Bloomberg

Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced that she will talk to student leaders on Tuesday, at the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine in Wong Chuk Hang.

The two-hour talk will be broadcast live on television, with five official representatives and five student representatives attending, and Lingnan University's president Professor Leonard Cheng Kwok-hon will be moderating.

"The government's work on political reform has to be based on the Basic Law and the national legislature's decision. I'm happy to listen to other opinions based on this foundation," Lam said, adding that she is sincere about the talk.

The students federation's five representatives will be its leaders Alex Chow Yong-Kang, Lester Shum and core members Nathan Law, Yvonne Leung and Chung Yiu-Wa.

Cheng was criticised by students for being a pro-Beijing scholar when his appointment as president was announced, but the Federation of Students member Yvonne Leung said they have "no comment" about the arrangement.

Pan-democratic lawmakers and Occupy Central leaders have been calling on the government to hold talks with protesters after Mong Kok descended into violence last night, with police using pepper spray and batons to hold back crowds.

The legislators blamed the authorities’ clearance of Mong Kok barricades earlier on Friday for triggering the evening’s clashes, which ended with thousands of protesters re-occupying Nathan Road and Argyle Street.

The clearance operation – which came less than a day after top officials said they were willing to hold an election reform dialogue with students – “triggered clashes on Friday night and resulted in a bigger occupation in Mong Kok and … a bigger social divide,” 23 pan-democratic lawmakers said in a joint statement.

They urged policemen and protesters to “exercise restraint”, and asked the government not to clear roadblocks before the dialogue is held, tentatively on Tuesday.

“We are very worried about the breeding of hatred” between policemen and protesters, the lawmakers said.

Hong Kong's riot policemen stand guard as pro-democracy protesters re-occupy Argyle Street. Photo: EPA

Twenty-six people were arrested during the clashes for a range of suspected offences including common assault, obstruction of police and possession of offensive weapons. This included an American photographer who was taken away after she jumped on a car to take pictures of the clashes.

Police said 15 officers were injured, while first-aid responders estimated 50 people were hurt on the Occupy side, including two with head injuries.

Police said around 9,000 people thronged the streets overnight – the first time it gave a crowd estimate since the civil disobedience movement kicked off on September 28.

As of Saturday, several major streets – including Kowloon’s main artery, Nathan Road – were barricaded, causing some buses and other vehicles to be diverted.

Protester Dennis Chiu, a musician, who stayed overnight during the tumult, said on Saturday: “We need to take back the road but we’ve not taken it all back yet – maybe 70 per cent of Nathan Road and Argyle Street.”

A man is taken away by police during last night's clashes. There were 26 people arrested so far. Photo: May Tse

Hong Kong Police Commissioner Andy Tsang Wai-hung this afternoon condemned the “unlawful” occupation of Mong Kok areas and said protesters had surged at police cordons during last night’s chaos.

“Police strongly condemn those who participated in the unlawful assembly, charged police cordons and illegally occupied major thoroughfares in Mong Kok earlier this morning and last night. Such behaviours are neither peaceful nor non-violent,” said Tsang, who last made a public statement when the civil disobedience movement started.

“The police have been extremely tolerant of the unlawful acts of the demonstrators in the past two to three weeks. We did this in the hope that they can calm down … Unfortunately these protesters chose to carry on with their unlawful acts ... which are even more radical or violent,” he said.

Tsang gave no indication as to the police’s next action this evening.

Separately, Democratic Party chief Lam Cheuk-ting questioned whether police were using “lethal force” when they swung batons at tents and umbrellas used by the protesters to shield themselves.

Lam cited reports of protesters being hit in the head with batons, saying the blows could have been fatal and that police should be aiming elsewhere to avoid causing serious injury.

Lam also said authorities should explain why police dogs were deployed on Lung Wo Road in Admiralty, where a few dozen protesters tried at least three times to set up barricades on the road, prompting officers with batons and shields to push them back. No pepper spray was used.

Pro-democracy supporters said at least two protesters, both reportedly underage, were arrested over the Lung Wo incident.

Meanwhile, Paula Bronstein, the American photographer who was arrested in Mong Kok and later released, declined to comment to the Post about the incident.

"We shouldn't talk too much about that because it'll be 'She said this, he said that'. Whatever his reasoning is [for my arrest, no comment] is a smart way to go," she said on Saturday.

Bronstein, who has worked in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Myanmar, said she had never been arrested before as a member of the press.

Bronstein was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and must report back to an unidentified police station later this month, according to the police's Public Relations Bureau. The bureau said they could not say whether she would be allowed to leave the city or not over the next few days.

Pictures and footage from the scene showed her being taken away after she stood on the bonnet of a luxury car.

Police used batons and pepper spray to push back the crowds. Photo: AFP

Occupy Central co-founder Dr Chan Kin-man said he was “saddened” by the events in Mong Kok, and said the police’s response as well as the government’s inaction on a dialogue were to blame for the escalating tensions.

A source said on Friday that the government was looking for ways to address the demands of students while maintaining the integrity of the NPC decision. A meeting between Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-Ngor and representatives of the Federation of Students is tentatively set for Tuesday at the Academy of Medicine in Aberdeen.

Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying has insisted that any dialogue with student activists should be based on the terms laid out in Beijing’s election reform framework.

Reporting by Tony Cheung, Danny Lee, Lana Lam, Fanny Fung and Eddie Lee

 

[mojito]

Re: China blocks bbc website after video shows hong kong police beating protester

Yeah, but in this case, the durian seller deliberately gives you the lousy durians. And if you don't buy the ones he picked for you, he'll crack your skull with a durian shell.

Aiyo. You dunno lah. The bitter durians are the best, good for your skin. Those western durians no good, too sweet lah! Bad for your teeth. We durian sellers owe a duty to our customers to choose those that are good for you. We choose many durians for other customers too. You must trust us.

 

[Helder Postiga]

Re: Give me Liberty or Give me Death! Giordano Tycoon joins Occupy Central!


Fresh clashes in Mong Kok ahead of televised talks to end Occupy protests

Protesters and riot police square off in Mong Kok after concerted efforts by both sides to stop an escalation of street confrontations

PUBLISHED : Saturday, 18 October, 2014, 4:53pm
UPDATED : Sunday, 19 October, 2014, 1:58pm

Niall Fraser, Timmy Sung and Amy Nip

Police confront pro-democracy protesters trying to reoccupy Nathan Road in Mong Kok early this morning. Photo: Sam Tsang

New clashes broke out between protesters and police in Mong Kok early this morning, after a day which saw significant progress on attempts to bring students and the government round the table to thrash out a solution to bring three weeks of street protests to an end.

The fresh trouble is understood to have followed an online call "to take the junction of Argyle Street and Nathan Road after midnight", prompting scores of riot police to rush to the scene.

Pepper spray was used at least once to disperse protesters.

Police used batons and pepper spray to push back the crowds. Photo: AFP

Officers used batons to hit out at protesters' umbrellas, according to witnesses at the scene.

One protester said he saw plain-clothes policemen lashing out at protesters themselves.

"I saw officers hitting protesters with batons. Several protesters suffered head injuries and were bleeding. They also dismantled supply stations," the protester, who gave his surname as Lo, said.

One of the student protest leaders, Lester Shum from the Federation of Students, was present at Mong Kok to show support. He said that the demonstrators there were upholding the principles of civil disobedience and he didn't know why officers had charged at them.

"We are not gangsters. Even if you beat us until we bleed, we will come back as we want genuine universal suffrage and civil nomination," said Shum.

Watch: Injured protester: Hong Kong police officer hit me

In a statement, police condemned protesters' actions, saying they had severely disrupted public order.

"In the small hours of today, a large number of people who were illegally occupying the carriageway on Nathan Road near Argyle Street in Mong Kok suddenly attempted to charge police cordon lines by pulling the mill barriers thereat and shoving police officers. Police then gave warnings to them repeatedly, including displaying warning banners, to urge them to stop charging police, but was ignored," the statement read.

"Police thus took resolute action by applying minimum force to disperse them to prevent the situation from deteriorating. After putting back the mill barriers at scene, police returned to the original cordon lines. Police did not carry out clearance."

The statement said one man was arrested after he was allegedly found with two knives in his backpack. Three protesters were reported to have been injured and a police officer suffered from a dislocated shoulder, it added.

Meanwhile RTHK reported that a man had been arrested in Tin Shui Wan on Saturday night on suspicion of encouraging people over the internet to take part in illegal assemblies in Admiralty and Mong Kok and to charge at police.

The latest disturbances came as talks aimed at ending the increasingly violent confrontations over the city's electoral future looked set to go ahead. Government and mainstream pro-democracy movement leaders united in condemnation of violent clashes between police and protesters.

In what appeared to be a concerted attempt to stop an escalation of street confrontations and isolate radical protesters ahead of Tuesday's talks, government No 2 Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, the Executive Council and pro-government groups condemned violent clashes on Saturday in Mong Kok.

Their call was echoed by Occupy Central co-founder Dr Chan Kin-man and student leader Lester Shum, who both said talks and non-violence should be the only way forward.

Hong Kong's riot policemen stand guard as pro-democracy protesters re-occupy Argyle Street. Photo: EPA

Police commissioner Andy Tsang Wai-hung - who has been absent from public view during the past three weeks of turmoil - also delivered a stern warning over what he described as actions that were "hurting Hong Kong and hurting our society".

Shum's call for non-violent protest - in which he also agreed talks should be within the framework of the Basic Law - came with a caveat that it was the hardline August 31 decision by the National People's Congress on elections that had kept people on the streets. "We are afraid the [Chief Executive] C. Y. Leung camp will try to sabotage the chances of dialogue, and so we need to hold fast to non-violence, which is our biggest strength," he said.

Thirty-three people aged 20 to 66 were arrested after clashes in Mong Kok and Lung Wo Road in Admiralty early on Saturday.

Legislative Council president Jasper Tsang Yok-sing said most peaceful demonstrators would not agree to violence. "It [the violence] definitely exceeds the limit of civil disobedience. I can't see they are conveying any messages. It should not happen."

Forty-one pro-establishment legislators issued a joint statement criticising Saturday's clashes, in which more than 10 police officers and an unknown number of protesters were injured.

Police stand off against demonstrators shortly after midnight on Sunday. Photo: SCMP

In an article in Chinese-language newspaper Ming Pao yesterday, Occupy's Chan called on protesters and police to show restraint. Chan also reiterated that the three Occupy Central organisers and pan-democrats would turn themselves in when the movement ends.

Meanwhile, students were preparing for the two-hour meeting with five government officials at the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine. Professor Leonard Cheng Kwok-hon, president of Lingnan University and an ex-adviser to Leung Chun-ying's election campaign, will moderate.

Harry's view

 

[Helder Postiga]

Re: Give me Liberty or Give me Death! Giordano Tycoon joins Occupy Central!



Chair of student-government talks pledges to remain impartial despite past CY Leung links

PUBLISHED : Sunday, 19 October, 2014, 2:01pm
UPDATED : Sunday, 19 October, 2014, 2:01pm

Staff Reporters

A protester shows police a newspaper report on last night's violence. Photo: SCMP

The university president chosen to chair talks between Hong Kong’s protesting students and the government today pledged to remain impartial during Tuesday’s meeting on democratic reform – despite the fact he was an adviser to CY Leung’s election campaign.

Lingnan University’s President Cheng Kwok-hon, who has been picked by the city’s eight universities to moderate the meeting, said his role would have “nothing to do with what I said in the past”.

“It is their freedom to say something for or against the Basic Law provisions,” he said, referring to the framework within which the 2017 chief executive elections would operate.

“I cannot stop them unless they say things to attack others or they violate the principles that are agreed before the meeting.”

His declaration came as Hong Kong’s Occupy protest zones remained peaceful on Sunday, following a night of violent clashes in Mong Kok that left 20 people injured.

A police presence ensured protesters could not reclaim lost ground. Photo: SCMP

Some 50 protesters were today manning the site in Mong Kok, where last night police used pepper spray and batons to control a crowd several hundred-strong.

Violence flared after midnight following an online call for protesters to block the junction of Argyle Street and Nathan Road.

While police this morning maintained that just three protesters and one policeman had been injured in the scuffles, the government put the figure at 20, according to AFP news agency.

Last night’s ugly scenes came as the Occupy demonstration, calling for increased democratic rights, entered its fourth week.

Despite diminished numbers of protesters on the streets – tens of thousands poured onto the city’s highways at the start of Occupy Central – the protests are continuing to make headlines around the world.

Protesters in protective gear manned the barricades last night. Photo: SCMP

Later today the Hong Kong Overseas Alliance (HKOA) will hold a rally in Green Park, London, to condemn what they say is an excessive use of force against the mainly young protesters.

A spokesman for the organisation, which attracted 4,000 people to a rally in support of Hong Kong outside the London’s Chinese Embassy on October 1, said the HKOA expressed its “deep regrets” over the police handling of the ongoing protests.

“The Hong Kong police are paid by the taxpayers to keep them safe not to bully them. These days, many Hongkongers have been calling Hong Kong police ‘public security police’ - that is the mainland Chinese police who are known to be heavy-handed with their own people,” the organisation said in a statement.

Hong Kong Labour Party member Cyd Ho said on RTHK’s Letter to Hong Kong this morning that the Occupy movement had been successful in giving Hongkongers a greater appetite for politics, which would continue even after the protest zones finally vanish.

In Mong Kok this afternoon, the junction of Nathan Road and Argyle Street remained under the watchful eye of police officers, who reclaimed it from protesters in a major operation on Friday.

A line of police in Mong Kok await instructions. Photo: SCMP

For some the mood was one of despondency, with several admitting they did not hold out hope that talks between the Federation of Students and the government would be productive.

Pitt Butt, 26, who spent Saturday night at the site, said he thought the meeting would come to nothing, and voiced his concerns about the policing methods employed in recent days.

"I was here last night and the police were hitting the protesters on their heads and arms with their batons. But the protesters were not doing anything.

"The police are like strangers to me now. I never thought that they could do such things to the people."

Graduate of Lingnan University, Kwok Hin, 20, said he had no faith in the host of Tuesday’s debate.

"I still remember that when some people stormed inside the Civic Square last month, there were Lingnan students among them. But the president did not say if the university would help bail them out," said Kwok, 20.

In Admiralty about 300 tents remained in the Occupy zone. Families wandered among the tents talking to protesters.

Frank Lee, 37, who works in the education sector, had decided to take his three-year-old daughter to the site.

"I support the students, their views and stances, and decided to bring her - even though she might not understand much - to make her aware of what's going on and take some iconic photos," he said, adding that the violence seen in recent days could only be halted with appropriate political action.

"It's not up to the students or even the police. After all, the ultimate responsibility belongs to the government, I mean to CY Leung. This can only be solved by political means,” he said.

 

[Helder Postiga]

Re: PRC General Spotted at HK Occupy Central!!


Silence of Hong Kong's top police officers may be due to dispute with chief executive

Amid widespread puzzlement among rank-and-file officers at silence from their superiors over protests, police staff associations issue call for unity

PUBLISHED : Sunday, 19 October, 2014, 5:45am
UPDATED : Sunday, 19 October, 2014, 2:24pm

Niall Fraser [email protected]

Andy Tsang, Leung Chun-ying and his wife, Regina Leung Tong Ching-yee, and Deputy Police Commissioner Tony Wong Chi-hung at the Bauhinia Awards ceremony yesterday. Photo: SMP

The events that have rocked Hong Kong over the past three weeks have not only reshaped the political landscape but look set to spark a major shake-up within the police force.

An internal message from the four staff associations that represent all rank and file officers - seen by the Sunday Morning Post - suggests moves could be under way to create a powerful unified body to represent the 28,000 policemen and -women.

Officers have faced fierce criticism of their handling of the unrest. From the controversial decision to use tear gas on September 28 - which many believe was the catalyst for mass protest - to last week's video which appeared to show a group of officers carrying out a violent and sustained attack on unarmed and restrained Civic Party member Ken Tsang Kin-chiu, key operational decisions by the force have raised serious questions over officers' role at the eye of the Occupy storm.

Many men and women in uniform have been puzzled by their superiors' low profile.

Police line up to confront protesters wielding umbrellas in Mong Kok yesterday. Photo: Sam Tsang

Until yesterday neither police commissioner Andy Tsang Wai-hung nor his top lieutenants had appeared in public since the 87 rounds of tear gas were fired. In a statement yesterday, Tsang delivered a stinging attack on what appears to be the increasingly violent approach of some protesters.

Several sources within the force have told the Post that Tsang's absence from the public eye is the result of a dispute between him and Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying. One source said the government was keen for Tsang to stay out of the limelight because he has a tough public image and might have further inflamed the situation.

There appeared to be a frostiness when Tsang and Leung appeared at the Bauhinia Awards ceremony yesterday.

"There is a strong sense of puzzlement in the ranks over why the commissioner and his deputies have played such a low- profile role at a time when the men and women under his control have been put through the Wringer. It would be a huge morale booster if they had been seen more," said one long-serving officer who insisted on anonymity.

"There are some who feel they are being hung out to dry - where is the boss when you need him? Has he been hidden away on orders from the Hong Kong government, or worse, from Beijing?"

Another officer said: "Many think he has fallen out with the CE. He has a reputation for leading from the front, for being a genuine hard man and for supporting his troops - so where the hell is he?"

The joint message sent on Friday to all police officers.

Yesterday Tsang said of the recent clashes in Mong Kok: "I have a message from the bottom of my heart: these illegal acts are hurting Hong Kong, hurting our society. They seriously disrupt the daily lives of our people, students, workers, businessmen, people requiring medical attention, people from all walks of life.

"To these demonstrators, to these protesters, you may think that your illegal acts have prevented the police [from] going about our duties, disrupted our deployments and even forced us to retreat.

"Superficially these may the case. But let me tell you this: these illegal acts are undermining the rule of law, undermining what Hong Kong has always been relying on to succeed.

"I urge you to think about this: If, from now on, the police fail to uphold [the] law effectively, who is there to benefit? And who is there to gain?"

One consequence of the absence - at least in public - of leadership was the issuing of an unprecedented call for unity by the force's four staff associations.

The message sent on Friday to all police said: "We are in the midst of troubles, unprecedented in our careers. Officers have been and remain subject to extreme antagonism, intimidation, emotional, mental and physical stress, severe fatigue and danger.

"We wish to remind you all that we, the Police Staff Associations, stand united as a Federation in offering our collective full and unwavering support to officers who require our assistance.

"We will continue to endeavour to aid officers to the very best of our ability. We are One.''

Tam Yiu-chung criticised for 'offensive' use of Liverpool anthem

A support group for the families of people killed in the Hillsborough football disaster in England 25 years ago has slammed a pro-establishment politician in Hong Kong for using an anthem at the heart of their quest for justice.

Tam Yiu-chung, chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), attempted to salute police officers on Thursday at a special Legislative Council meeting to discuss Occupy Central.

He used the Liverpool FC anthem and motto You'll Never Walk Alone to show his support for the force.

"The police's contributions are recognised by the public. When the protests started, there were people sending good wishes to police at different stations," he said. "This is a really heart-rending situation. I can't help thinking about the Liverpool motto: You'll Never Walk Alone."

The reference, however, has angered local Liverpool fans in Hong Kong, who took to the streets of Admiralty on Friday night clad in the club's signature red jerseys to protest against Tam's "offensive" reference.

For supporters of the English Premier League side, the anthem is inextricably linked to their battle for justice following the disaster in 1989 when police mismanagement of the crowd resulted in a human crush and the deaths of 96 people.

In 2012, an independent report found that police bore responsibility for the disaster and had attempted to conceal their culpability by altering witness statements. British Prime Minister David Cameron subsequently apologised for the injustice.

Kenneth Derbyshire, chairman of the Hillsborough Justice Campaign in Britain, told the Sunday Morning Post that Tam's comments were "out of order".

There were still a number of inquests to be heard, he said.

"I am disgusted by it. With all the inquiries going on, it is like being kicked in the guts," said Derbyshire. "The song is close to everyone's hearts. We've been singing it for years."

A female protester who attended the rally of about 50 Liverpool supporters in Admiralty said: "It was so offensive for [Tam] to use our anthem title for exactly the opposite thing the song stood for.

"This song was for justice, but here he is using it to encourage injustice."

Bryan Harris and Jennifer Ngo

 

[Helder Postiga]

Re: Give me Liberty or Give me Death! Giordano Tycoon joins Occupy Central!


Drivers join 50-car convoy through Admiralty in support of Occupy protests

A procession of around 50 cars crawled along Gloucester Road in Admiralty on Sunday afternoon in a show of support for the pro-democracy protests, despite possible police fines

PUBLISHED : Sunday, 19 October, 2014, 6:58pm
UPDATED : Sunday, 19 October, 2014, 7:31pm

Raquel Carvalho [email protected]

Cars queue during the drive-by protest. Photo: Raquel Carvalho

A group of about 50 cars on Sunday afternoon drove at a slow pace from the City Hall to the Academy of Performing Arts through some of the main arteries of the city in a show of solidarity with the protesting students. The drivers stopped at Gloucester Road for more than ten minutes.

The initiative, organised through a Facebook group, might be repeated in the coming days, if the government continues using violence to contain protesters, said its organiser.

Barry Lee, 40, who works in the construction industry, was one of the drivers joining the action today. “I totally support the students, so I decided to be part of this,” he said sitting inside his car on Gloucester Road while the radio was playing – not by coincidence – John Lennon’s song We Are the World.

More than 15 police officers were watching the scene, but the drivers were not intimidated by possible fines.

“Maybe they will [fine us]. They asked us the reference [numbers] of our driving license plate, but I had to do this to be honest with myself,” said nurse Phoebe Chan, 30, inside another car.

A map showing the route taken by the drivers on Sunday. Photo: Facebook screenshot

The organiser of the initiative, Ed Lau, 28, who works for an outdoor education company, said the drivers would increase their action if “the government escalates the violence” in Mong Kok and other protest sites. “This action will happen again tomorrow and on Tuesday and it will cause major social impact, if the government doesn’t answer appropriately,” he said.

Lau said he decided to launch the event to “expand the social spectrum of the protest, because some people think that the protesters are only students, rebel teenagers who don’t want to go to school, but the silent middle class wants to join it. This is a way of giving a face to the silent middle class and [putting] pressure the government.”

After police announced on Sunday that a man was arrested for allegedly inciting others on the internet to gather and take violent action at protest sites, Lau said he was not concerned about the consequences he might have to bear.

“What I am doing is not illegal. To be jailed or prosecuted is not a deterrent. It’s a too minor thing,” he said.

Lau added that he believes “Hong Kong still has [the] rule of law.”