Hong Kong police have seized weapons, armor and materials used to create Molotov cocktails, which the police said belonged to some extremist groups among the protesters labeled ‘pro-democracy’ by western media.
The police arrested 51 people, including seven women, aged between 15 and 44, and charged them with crimes related to the rioting.
At about 4 p.m. Tuesday, a large group of rioters attacked officers with iron poles, seriously threatening their lives. Having given warning but in vain, an officer fired a shot at a male attacker.
The 18-year-old attacker was injured and rushed to Princess Margaret Hospital in conscious state. The current condition of the man is stable.
Lo Wai-chung, Commissioner of Police, said that the life of the police officer was under serious threat in the open fire incident and appropriate force has to be deployed in accordance with the police guidelines if police warning does not work.
Radical protesters have been repeatedly organizing unlawful activities since June and violent acts are spreading and escalating drastically. The police reiterated that no violent behavior will be tolerated and resolute action will be taken to safeguard the city’s public safety and bring all lawbreakers to justice.
According to the police, on Monday and Tuesday they targeted 48 locations throughout Hong Kong that they suspected were connected with violent protesters, who have been waging street battles against the police force for several months.
©Hong Kong Police
The authorities published photos of the items they discovered during the raid, which include several suits of body armor, various melee weapons, chemicals and glass bottles used in the manufacturing of petrol bombs – a weapon routinely used by the demonstrators to cause chaos in Hong Kong.
Mass anti-government protests first gripped Hong Kong in March, when thousands took to the streets to protest an extradition bill that they deemed an attack on Hong Kong’s autonomy under the so-called “one country, two systems” arrangement. The bill has since been revoked, but the protest movement’s demands have continued to grow and it has become more violent in its approach.
Peaceful protest demonstrations in Hong Kong, which have been the prime focus for Western media coverage, take place against the backdrop of vandalism, harassment of businesses deemed loyal to the central government and outright rioting.
HKSAR government condemns extreme acts
The government of China’s Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSR) on Wednesday strongly condemned rioters for their extreme violent acts in various districts across Hong Kong on Tuesday.
Such acts posed a serious threat to the safety of the public and seriously undermined social order, a spokesperson said in a statement, adding that the radicals warrant the society’s most severe condemnation.
Many demonstrators took part in the unauthorized meetings and processions which turned out to be very dangerous riots, setting fires inside MTR stations, throwing petrol bombs, vandalizing shops and public properties, blocking thoroughfares to cause serious obstruction to fire fighting and ambulance work, and damaging the premises of the Cheung Sha Wan and Tsuen Wan government offices, the spokesperson said.
“The riots in various districts in Hong Kong on October 1 were planned and organized, leading Hong Kong to a chaotic and panic state. This reflects that the nature of the issue has already changed,” the spokesperson said.
The demonstrators challenged China’s sovereignty by burning national flags in Central and Causeway Bay, the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said it was necessary for the police to use appropriate force to take disperse and arrest actions resolutely for public safety and to restore social order.
180 arrested
So far, over 180 persons have been arrested for offenses of taking part in a riot, unlawful assembly, assaulting police officer and possession of offensive weapon. In the operations, at least 25 officers were injured under rampant attack by rioters.
Plan for serious violence
The Hong Kong Police Force on Monday described rampage across the city as illegal acts that were “a step closer to terrorism.”
Police, citing intelligence, also warned on Monday that core rioters are planning serious violence on Tuesday, including killing police officers, disguising as police to kill people, and arson inside malls. They added that suicide attackers are also being recruited.
Considering that unauthorized public activities might still take place in the city on Tuesday, when National Day is a public holiday in Hong Kong, police warned the public on Monday that the street protests may become extremely dangerous on Tuesday and urged the public to remain vigilant.
Risk assessment of MTR stations
On Tuesday morning, the MTR shut down eight train stations after it carried out a detailed risk assessment ahead of upcoming public activities, according to a statement the company. The stations, including those in Causeway Bay, Sham Shui Po, Wong Tai Sin, Sha Tin, were closed starting 11 am on Tuesday.
HK celebrates China’s founding anniversary
Despite unrest, residents in Hong Kong celebrated the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on Tuesday with various activities as officials reiterated that Hong Kong’s future is tied to the Chinese mainland and the city must uphold “one country, two systems.”
At 8 am at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, thousands of representatives from different social spheres in the city gathered at a ballroom to watch the live broadcast of a flag-raising ceremony held at Golden Bauhinia Square.
Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, acting chief executive of the HKSAR, said after the flag-raising ceremony that during the glorious course of national development, Hong Kong has leveraged its strengths to serve the mainland’s needs and benefitted from its rapid development.
“Hong Kong’s unique strengths under ‘one country, two systems’, coupled with its strong advantages of being backed by our motherland and open to the world, have rendered it the most open and freest city in our country,” he said.
Local officials reiterated their confidence in upholding the “one country, two systems” principle and the Basic Law, which serve as fundamentals to shape Hong Kong’s future.
The acting chief executive said that only by ensuring the principle upholding the Basic Law, defending the rule of law and safeguarding national sovereignty can the city overcome challenges and continue to thrive.
Despite ongoing tensions, some Hong Kong residents climbed Tai Mo Shan – the highest peak in Hong Kong – on Tuesday morning, hanging a 15-meter-long Chinese national flag and singing the Chinese national anthem.
A group of hikers climbed Victoria Peak, cheering on the success the mainland and Hong Kong have achieved over the years.
Meanwhile, dozens of flag-waving people gathered in nearby Golden Bauhinia Square to celebrate National Day.
Private vehicles, and some taxis, decorated with national flags passed Wan Chai and Causeway Bay. At Times Square in Causeway Bay, the grand military parade in Beijing to mark the 70th anniversary of PRC founding was live-streamed on the big screen on top of the front gate to the mall.
Xi Jinping calls for prosperity and stability in HK
China’s President Xi Jinping called on Tuesday, China’s National Day, efforts to maintain lasting prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and Macao, promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, unite all Chinese sons and daughters, and continue to strive for China’s complete reunification.
Xi stressed that the principles of “peaceful reunification” and “one country, two systems” should be upheld.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in a speech delivered at a grand rally in Beijing to celebrate the 70th founding anniversary of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
“Seventy years ago on this day, Comrade Mao Zedong solemnly declared here to the world that the PRC was founded and the Chinese people had stood up,” Xi said on Tiananmen Rostrum.
“This great event completely reversed China’s miserable fate born from poverty and weakness and being bullied and humiliated over more than 100 years since the advent of modern times,” Xi said, adding that the Chinese nation has since then embarked on the path of realizing national rejuvenation.
Xi stressed the importance of upholding the Party leadership, ensuring the principal status of the people, staying on the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics and fully implementing the Party’s basic theory, line and policy.
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