- Title: Hong Kong has "become hell": homeless man supports anti-government protests
- Date: 30th September 2019
- Summary: HONG KONG, CHINA (SEPTEMBER 25, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF HOMELESS MAN, 73-YEAR-OLD'S LOW TIT MAN, WALKING AROUND WITH TROLLEY CARRYING HIS BELONGINGS
- Embargoed: 14th October 2019 05:45
- Keywords: Hong Kong China protests homeless man pro-democracy
- Location: HONG KONG, CHINA
- City: HONG KONG, CHINA
- Country: Hong Kong
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Civil Unrest,Editors' Choice
- Reuters ID: LVA001AYUKU9Z
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Homeless man Low Tit Man has lived in Hong Kong since he was 11, and has thrown his support behind the young anti-government protesters who have filled the streets, sometimes resulting in violent clashes with police.
Now 73, the man who was born in the Philippines thinks that Hong Kong has moved in a worse direction since its 1997 handover to China.
"When I first came to Hong Kong it was like heaven. There was no robbery, rape, no crime, nothing bad happened. It was 'A Pearl of the East', an international city. But now it has become hell," he told Reuters.
In front of the Prince Edward subway station, which has become one of the many flashpoints in the city, walls are filled with posters and slogans berating Chief Executive Carrie Lam and the police, accused of beating up protesters, and Low visits these walls to write messages of support.
In 2014, he made headlines when police arrested him as part of the Occupy protests in Mongkok, Kowloon, but was subsequently released.
"This is for the happiness of the next generation. I want to reject the bad policies, so that our next generation don't have to deal with the unfair law," Low said.
Hong Kong is on edge ahead of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1, with authorities eager to avoid scenes that could embarrass the central government in Beijing. Activists have planned various protests on the day.
China says it is committed to the "one country, two systems" arrangement and denies meddling. It has accused foreign governments, including the United States and Britain, of inciting the unrest.
The Asian financial hub also marks the fifth anniversary this weekend of the start of the "Umbrella" protests, a series of pro-democracy demonstrations in 2014 that failed to bring concessions from Beijing.
(Production: Vorasit Satienlerk, Yiming Woo) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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