- Title: Hong Kong police slam protesters' violence at airport protest
- Date: 14th August 2019
- Summary: HONG KONG, CHINA (AUGUST 14, 2019) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** POLICE OFFICERS ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER OF POLICE, OPERATIONS, MAK CHIN HO, SAYING: "The Hong Kong international airport is an essential transport hub. It caters to as many as seventy four point seven million passengers (from) around the world in the last year. It is not an appropriate place for (a) protest, for it is an irreplaceable infrastructure in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong police have always facilitated peaceful and orderly protests over the years. But the extremely radical and violent acts have certainly crossed the line, and ought to be most severely condemned." VARIOUS OF NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE (English) ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER OF POLICE, OPERATIONS, MAK CHIN HO, SAYING: "I'd like to draw attention here to the suffering of the visitors at the hand of radical protesters. We have multiple innocent visitors being randomly held captive, and obstructed from taking their way to the departure gate. Some families with elderly and children are intimidated by a large group of rowdy and noisy protesters. We've seen them crying and shouting to get out, but such reckless acts prevent them." VARIOUS OF NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER OF POLICE OPERATIONS, MAK CHIN HO, SAYING: "Secondly, there are two particular incidents that can be likened to torture, as two visitors were held captive and harshly wound(ed) by a large group of radical protesters. In the first instance, a mainland visitor was choked and assault(ed) with his hands and neck bound with cable ties. He appeared semi-conscious as protesters poured water on him, and displayed his belongings on the floor. In a second instance, another visitor, who turned out to be a reporter from the mainland, also received similar suffering." NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER OF POLICE OPERATIONS, MAK CHIN HO, SAYING: "As you may have known, the air authority has obtained an injunction order from the courts to prevent people from involvement in illegally obstructing or interfering (with) the proper use of the airport. Anyone in breach of the order is liable to contempt of court. The police will fully support and provide all necessary assistance to the bailiff and airport authority in enforcing the injunction order, as well as access control measures." REPORTERS SHOUTING AS POLICE OFFICERS DEPART
- Embargoed: 28th August 2019 12:48
- Keywords: Hong Kong China protest extradition bill law police
- Location: HONG KONG, CHINA
- City: HONG KONG, CHINA
- Country: Hong Kong
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Civil Unrest
- Reuters ID: LVA001AS6UHXJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Hong Kong police condemned violent acts at the city's airport on Wednesday (August 14) after a night of ugly clashes where demonstrators set upon and detained two men they suspected of being government sympathizers.
Assistant Commissioner of Police operations, Mak Chin-ho, said the Hong Kong International Airport was not an appropriate place for protests, adding it was an irreplaceable part of the city's infrastructure.
Mak said that the police had facilitated numerous peaceful and orderly protests in recent years, but that recent violent acts ought to be condemned.
Clashes erupted between demonstrators and Hong Police at the Hong Kong International Airport Tuesday (August 13), the fifth day of protests at the airport.
Protesters harassed and beat at least two people during the evening, including a reporter for Chinese news outlet Global Times and a tourist from the mainland, alleged to have been a mainland policeman.
Unrest has roiled the former British colony for ten weeks this summer, as thousands of residents chafe at a perceived erosion of freedoms and autonomy under Chinese rule. The protests began as opposition to a now-suspended bill that would have allowed extradition to mainland China for those facing criminal charges, but have swelled into wider calls for democracy.
(Production: Aleksander Solum) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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