Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses. Share the link of this article with your facebook friends

 

Hong Kong Protesters Add Police Brutality to the List of their Opposition to Government Policies

October 26, 2019

 

Hong Kong police officers arrest anti-government protesters, file, October 26, 2019

Hong Kong anti-government protesters, file, October 26, 2019

 

Hong Kong government ‘will consider’ commission of inquiry into police handling of protests if public is dissatisfied with watchdog’s report

Revelation from sources is a step beyond city leader’s promise to explore alternatives COI is one of the key demands of protesters in more than four months of social unrest

SCMP, Gary Cheung , 26 Oct, 2019

Hong Kong’s beleaguered government will consider setting up a widely demanded commission of inquiry if the public is dissatisfied with the police watchdog’s report into the use of force by officers during more than four months of chaotic and violent protests, sources have told the Post.

The revelation goes a step beyond Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s recent promise to explore alternatives if the report of the Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC), due by the end of this year, does not placate the protest movement and its supporters.

Lam has so far rejected this core demand by protesters for an independent inquiry into allegations of police brutality since the public backlash against her now-withdrawn extradition bill began in June, saying it should be left to the IPCC.

She is worried about how the 30,000 strong police force will react, given that officers see themselves as the victims rather than perpetrators of violence.

A source close to the government said top officials were now mulling such an option.

“The government really wants to see the public response to the IPCC’s report first. If members of the public are not happy with the IPCC’s report, a commission of inquiry could be considered as a possible way to respond to their concerns,” the source said.

“It could be a commission looking into certain incidents in recent months, without having to toil on what happened on each day since the protests started in June.”

The source said the government’s change of heart on the issue was attributable to the progress in talks between China and the United States to end their trade war. The two sides are expected to sign a temporary trade deal soon, which could see Washington toning down its open support for the protests.

“The government’s latest stance on an independent inquiry into police conduct, coupled with the green light for several candidates who were previously linked to self-determination advocacy to run in next month’s district council elections, can be seen as signs of Beijing’s softer approach on dealing with the protests,” the source said.

A government insider stressed that the IPCC investigation was still the main focus, and any inquiry after that would have to supplement, rather than replace, its findings.

Police clash with protesters during a demonstration against the anti-mask law. Photo: Sam Tsang Share:

Such an inquiry could look into areas beyond the ambit of the IPCC, the insider said, or issues identified by the watchdog that would require further investigation.

Several observers, including eight former political appointees in the administration, have said a wider inquiry into the actions of both protesters and police might be more palatable.

On a radio show last Saturday , Lam herself said the government would not tolerate “any unlawful or violent act, including by police”. During her first community dialogue on September 26, Lam insisted the IPCC was already on the job and it would be best to leave the task to the watchdog.

“Shouldn’t we let the IPCC complete its work in a few months, then make a judgement on whether or not we can accept its conclusion?” she said at the time.

A spokesman for the Chief Executive’s Office said the government preferred to let the IPCC do the job for now.

“The chief executive has pledged that the government will seriously follow up the recommendations made therein,” the spokesman said.

In a television interview on Sunday, Lam said the IPCC probe would cover several controversial incidents, including the Yuen Long attack on the night of July 21, when a rampaging mob assaulted protesters and passengers indiscriminately in

Thousands of Hong Kong medical workers and supporters hold peaceful anti-police rally, as city marks second straight Saturday without widespread violence

Victor Ting, Sum Lok-kei , and Zoe Low  

SCMP, 26 Oct, 2019

Thousands of medical professionals and their supporters held a peaceful rally in Hong Kong’s business district of Central, accusing police of brutalising protesters, as the city marked the second straight Saturday of anti-government demonstrations without widespread violence. 

Doctors, nurses and health care workers gather in Chater Garden for approved protest themed ‘respect human rights, keep police powers in check’ Volunteer first-aiders have been caught in the crossfire of clashes between officers and protesters

Thousands of medical professionals and their supporters held a peaceful rally in Hong Kong’s business district of Central, accusing police of brutalising protesters, as the city marked the second straight Saturday of anti-government demonstrations without widespread violence.

Doctors, nurses, health care workers and others gathered at Chater Garden at 6pm for the 3½-hour officially approved rally under the theme, “respect human rights, keep police powers in check”.

Organisers said 10,000 people showed up, but police said the turnout peaked at 2,300.

Participants were united in condemning the force, accusing police of inflicting “severe injuries” on protesters, but pledged to maintain their professionalism and treat all patients equally, regardless of background and political persuasions.

This was the 21st consecutive weekend of demonstrations first sparked by the government’s now-withdrawn extradition bill, which would have allowed the transfers of criminal suspects to mainland China and other jurisdictions.

The massive public backlash against the bill has morphed into a widespread anti-government movement, with protesters now demanding action against police, as well as universal suffrage.

While volunteer first-aiders on the front lines have been caught in the crossfire during clashes between protesters and police, some have accused officers of obstructing them from helping the injured. Police in turn have arrested some of them, questioning their professionalism and accusing them of colluding with protesters.

Medical professionals at hospitals have also been frequently critical of police action.

“We can see protesters sent to hospital with various degrees of injuries caused by police, like head injuries, laceration wounds and bone fractures,” nurse Lau Hoi-man, one of the organisers, said before the rally, recalling protesters’ complaints about receiving delayed medical attention after being arrested.

At the event, Lau told participants: “Police have also entered clinical areas and even women-only patient rooms ... This is an invasion of patient privacy. This has also led to a breakdown in trust in the public health care system.”

Organisers showed photos of injuries sustained by protesters and played a voice recording they said was from an onlooker at a protest who was too afraid to seek treatment at a public hospital after his right index finger was broken by a projectile fired by police on October 20.

“We were getting dinner at Mong Kok on Sunday ... Police were firing tear gas at the time. I had no protective gear so I ran,” the man said, claiming that he was hit while fleeing.

Fearing his case might be reported to police, the man said, he had his injury attended to at an “underground clinic”.

Legislator Joseph Lee addresses the crowd on stage. Photo: Edmond So Share:

Opposition lawmaker Joseph Lee Kok-long, representing the health services constituency and a registered nurse himself, accused police of creating an “unsafe environment” in public hospitals where patients dared not come forward for treatment.

“The Hong Kong government has used the need to stop violence as an excuse to let police run amok, ignore the law and beat up protesters with batons. Officers have gone into hospitals, invaded patients’ privacy and made arrests in wards, as well as arrested first-aiders and therefore prevented injured people on the ground from getting the immediate medical attention they need,” Lee said. “We have to ask, is Hong Kong still a healthy and safe city?”

Protesters hold up the words: ‘Liberate Hong Kong; revolution of our times’. Photo: Edmond So Share:

In recent months, the city’s doctors and nurses have held silent sit-ins at hospitals and put up “Lennon Walls” of colourful stickers carrying anti-government messages, while pro-police groups have accused them of siding with protesters and condoning violence.

Dr Arisina Ma Chung-yee, of the Hong Kong Public Doctors’ Association, said she had faced a backlash from four police officers’ associations over the group’s statement condemning the shooting of an 18-year-old boy in the chest with a live round in Tsuen Wan.

“But many doctors and nurses have got in touch to thank me for speaking out, and said they felt they couldn’t speak out themselves due to fears of recrimination,” she added.

Ma also urged her fellow medical professionals to remain impartial in their work, saying: “You can still criticise police while remaining professional. If someone smokes in my ward, I will reprimand him for doing so, but I will still treat him to the best of my ability at the end of the day.”

Another rally-goer who only gave his surname as Wu and who claimed to have worked in the medical field for 20 years, said: “Even for medical professionals, there are guidelines and protocols in hospitals. Even we cannot just look through medical records for no reason, so who are police to do so without a warrant?”

He lamented that many in the profession no longer dared to speak up against police and the government.

A bystander confronts police in Yuen Long. Photo: Sam Tsang Share:

While the rally ended at around 9.30pm and participants left without any major incident, in the northern town of Yuen Long, a stand-off with protesters and police occurred at 10pm.

Some radicals gathered at Castle Peak Road near Tai Tong Road and damaged traffic lights while blocking roads with minibus stop signs and traffic cones. Glass bottles were hurled at officers who closed in to disperse the rowdy group.

Police warned protesters they were participating in an unlawful assembly, and they should stop their illegal acts or officers will use force. Bystanders were directed to leave the scene immediately.

Police charge down a road in Yuen Long as tensions brew. Photo: Sam Tsang Share:

Close to midnight, a crowd numbering in the dozens, some in masks, converged on a junction in the district and sat on the road, blocking traffic. They quickly scattered when officers in riot gear charged towards them.

Tensions continued to brew between both sides, leading to police eventually firing tear gas shortly after midnight as they marched down roads while a handful of protesters flee.

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3034718/more-1000-hong-kong-medical-workers-and-supporters-hold

***

Hong Kong protesters’ five demands meant to ‘humiliate’ government, won’t solve city’s issues: Singapore PM

Speaking at Forbes Global CEO Conference, Lee Hsien Loong says he finds it hard to imagine that ‘one country, two systems’ will last until 2047 Singapore unlikely to benefit from unrest in Hong Kong, Lee adds as he addresses US-China trade war and country’s coming elections

Link Copied Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at a Q&A panel during a Bloomberg New Economy Forum dinner event in November 2018. Photo: Bloomberg The five main demands of Hong Kong’s anti-government protesters are intended to “humiliate” the city’s administration, and acceding to them is unlikely to solve the deep-seated issues linked to “one country, two systems”, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Wednesday.

The Lion City’s leader said if Hong Kong did not work within its mini-constitution, the Basic Law, it would be “very difficult to imagine” that the unique governance model in place since the city’s return to Chinese rule in 1997 could last until 2047, when the system is meant to expire.

He said the model “can be made to work [but] it is not easy.”

Speaking during a dialogue at the Forbes Global CEO Conference, Lee also stressed that Singapore was unlikely to benefit from Hong Kong’s woes because it depended heavily on investors having confidence in the entire region.

The comments were the Singaporean leader’s most extensive yet on the protests that have engulfed Hong Kong for 19 straight weeks.

“I don’t see any easy way forward because the demonstrators, they say they have five major demands, and not one can be compromised,” the 67-year-old leader said in response to questions about Hong Kong from Steve Forbes, the chairman and editor-in-chief of Forbes Media.

SUBSCRIBE TO This Week in Asia Get updates direct to your inbox By registering, you agree to our T&C and Privacy Policy Thank you for your subscription. You can also view our other newsletters.

The protesters are seeking an inquiry into alleged police brutality during the protests; withdrawal of a controversial extradition bill; full amnesty for all those arrested during the protests; the retraction of the classification of protesters as “rioters”; and the implementation of full universal suffrage in the semi-autonomous Chinese city.

“But those are not demands which are meant to be a programme to solve Hong Kong’s problems,” Lee said. “Those are demands which are intended to humiliate and bring down the government.”

Lee said it was likely that some protesters did not know what their end game was, but were nonetheless demonstrating to express their unhappiness.

He said: “And that is a most unfortunate state to be in. You have got to be able to move beyond that, and to take steps which will not overcome all of the problems at once, but [will] progressively tackle the issues that are bugging Hongkongers.”

During the hour-long dialogue, Lee spent a considerable amount of time addressing the Hong Kong protests, and also touched on a range of other issues including the trade war and geopolitical stand-off between the United States and China , as well as Singapore’s impending general election.

Lee described Wednesday’s events in Hong Kong – which saw Lam heckled by pro-democracy lawmakers in the Legislative Council, forcing her to deliver her address via video link – as “very sad for Hong Kong”.

There was no upside for Singapore from the protests, the prime minister added, because the trade-reliant island nation thrived only when other countries were prospering and doing business with it.

“It’s just the confidence in the region, so that investors can come and not think that [they are] in a dangerous part of the world,” Lee said.

He said the “one country, two systems” model was a key cause of unhappiness for Hong Kong and the government in Beijing.

The system requires China to think not only of “one country” but also pay heed to the “two systems”, Lee said, and in Hong Kong’s case, the city’s residents need to think of themselves as part of one country.

Both sides needed to exercise “wisdom and restraint”, Lee said, adding that Hong Kong also had “issues of governance”.

The question of universal suffrage – giving the people of Hong Kong free choice to pick their chief executive – was “something which needs to be dealt with”.

Lee added, however, that there was no simple solution, as Hong Kong exists as a special administrative region (SAR) – not a country – and that it has to “live and work within” that framework.

If the city’s Basic Law was not made to work, Lee said it would be “very difficult to imagine that one country, two systems can continue for another [28 years] until 2047“.

The city’s deep rooted social issues such as its infamous housing crunch required political courage from its leaders, Lee said.

“So far, the SAR government has gone for conservative approaches and problems have not really significantly improved.”

Even though solutions could be advanced, this would take time, and it was necessary for “temperatures to come down”, the prime minister said.

During the dialogue, Lee also spoke about the Singapore economy , which has been reeling as a result of the trade war between the world’s two largest economies.

He said: “Our growth rate has come down. This year, we will be well under 1 per cent. If we are lucky, we should be above zero.”

Heng Swee Keat speaks at a UBS client conference in Singapore in January. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has named the deputy prime minister as his successor. Photo: Reuters Share:

Flash data for the third quarter released this week showed the city state’s economy – a regional bellwether – grew 0.6 per cent compared to the last three months, beating earlier expectations of a contraction.

A former finance minister, Lee also addressed the strain in US-China ties that stretches beyond trade issues.

The trade war has “hardened” attitudes among Americans and the Chinese, Lee said, adding that it was not just US President Donald Trump or his Republican allies who had hawkish views about China, but a “whole layer of [the] establishment” that now feels that Beijing has done “bad things” such as cyber theft and unfair trade.

China, too, had hardened itself in response to this stance from Washington, Lee said.

“Since the last few decades, you will find it very difficult to find somebody in America who speaks up and says we should not demonise China.”

He said things could change if everyone concerned kept an “open mind”.

People taking selfies with the Singapore skyline as backdrop. Photo: AP Share:

Lee, who became prime minister in 2004, also addressed a question on his succession plan. He has said he will step down and hand over the leadership role to his named successor, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, some time after the next general elections, which he must call by April 2021.

Speculation is mounting that Lee will call a snap vote in months.

Still tight-lipped on when he will call the vote, Lee said it was important to have “an orderly political succession”.

He quipped that the election could be called any time in the next 18 months – around the same time period before his government term ends.

“Time waits for no man … Every year, you are one year older. And as one year more, one year less in which you have time to prepare somebody to take over from you,” Lee said.

“After the next general election, I hope, within a not too long time, I’ll be able to hand over.”

The premier also addressed domestic policies that he has sought to influence in his 15 years as premier – the country’s stance on immigration, and its lagging birth rate.

“It is a big challenge for any country, especially so for one with a small population,” he said.

He said the government was continuing to encourage couples to get married and become parents while also keeping open its doors to migrants at levels that will “not be too enormous and not overpower us”.

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3033279/hong-kong-protesters-five-demands-meant-humiliate-government

***

Hong Kong medics join protests against perceived police brutality

Sarah Wu, October 26, 2019

HONG KONG (Reuters) -

Hundreds of Hong Kong medical workers and other anti-government protesters rallied in the Chinese-ruled city’s financial center on Saturday, angry at perceived police brutality during more than four months of sometimes violent unrest.

Anti-government demonstrators point lasers during a protest in Hong Kong’s Chater Garden, China, October 26, 2019. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

Pro-democracy activists have attacked police with petrol bombs and rocks and shone lasers in their eyes. One officer was slashed in the neck with a knife.

Police have responded with tear gas, water cannon, rubber bullets and occasional live rounds, wounding several protesters, many of whom received treatment from volunteer first aiders at the roadside.

A 26-year-old nurse, who gave his name only as Stephen, said police would often come into the hospital where he works on the Kowloon peninsula and stand outside the wards or search for protesters in the accident and emergency department.

“Sometimes they bring their guns and weapons. The patients may be scared. This is not good practice,” he said. “The protesters have injuries. This searching must be done after they are healed.”

He said he worked as a first aider at protest sites in his spare time.

“I didn’t tell any of my supervisors - only some colleagues with the same values,” he said. “...But when I see people injured, I have to provide first aid.”

Police deny accusations of brutality, saying they have shown utmost restraint in life-threatening situations and issue warnings to protesters with color-coded signs before they respond with tear gas or baton charges.

Protesters are angry about what they see as creeping Chinese interference in Hong Kong, a former British colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a “one country, two systems” formula intended to guarantee freedoms that are not enjoyed on the mainland.

China denies meddling. It has accused foreign governments, including the United States and Britain, of inciting the unrest.

The demonstrators gathered peacefully on Saturday, occasionally chanting “Hong Kong people, resist”.

Reporting by Sarah Wu; Writing by Nick Macfie; Editing by Alex Richardson

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hongkong-protests/hong-kong-medics-join-anti-government-protests-to-resist-tyranny-idUSKBN1X500V

***

Share the link of this article with your facebook friends