Monday, September 29, 2014 A3

OCCUPY CENTRAL

The decision by police to fire teargas on the streets of Admiraltyshocked protesters and wascondemned by Human RightsMonitor as “unprecedented”.

Officers used the tear gas afterthousands of protesters stormedonto Harcourt Road outside theTamar government headquar-ters and caused gridlock.

The demonstrators scatteredbut quickly regrouped to occupythe major road linking Centraland Wan Chai.

Police fired the first rounds oftear gas shortly before 6pm,about 15 minutes after issuing awarning for demonstrators tostop charging police and leavepeacefully. “Otherwise, policewill use a high level of force in or-der to restore public order andsafeguard public safety.”

Anti-riot officers wearing hel-mets and gas masks and carryingtear gas launchers were thencalled in. Displaying a bannerwith the words “Warning – tearsmoke” on one side and “Dis-perse or we fire” on the side, they

released the gas at close rangewhen surrounded by demon-strators at 6.50pm.They fired sev-eral rounds of tear gas whilemarching to government head-quarters in Tim Mei Avenue.

The confrontation betweenprotesters and police continuedat the junction of Harcourt Roadand Tim Mei Avenue. Anotherbatch of protesters occupied asection of Queensway outsidethe Lippo Centre in Admiralty.

At 7.15pm, police issued astatement saying that protestersviolently charged the police cor-don outside the governmentheadquarters. “After police re-peated warnings and protestersrefused to leave, police decidedto escalate the use of force andtear gas was used to stop those

acts which endangered publicsafety and public order,” it said.

But protesters were shocked.A 13-year-old boy said: “I washere for the past two days and Ican’t believe police would resortto tear gas. My eyes hurt so badlyand my lungs are burning ...police have used excessive forcetoday.”

Felix Tang, 25, who had beenprotesting near Admiralty Cen-tre, said: “No one even guessedthe police would be so violent.We are unarmed, we only haveour hands.”

His friend, Eric Lai, 27, whowas not wearing goggles, said:“Don’t let my look fool you – I amreally scared.”

He wanted Hongkongers andthose outside the city to see whatwas happening.

Alvin Lai, 23, a recent univer-sity graduate, said he wasshocked at the force deployed bythe police.

Law Yuk-kai, director ofHuman Rights Monitor, said itwas “an unprecedented devia-tion of normal police practices”.

He said the protesters wereonly exercising their basic hu-man rights for a peaceful demon-stration. “The way the policecracked down on protesters wasnot proportionate,” he said.

Earlier, at about 1.30pm, po-lice threw a cordon around thegovernment headquarters to sur-round hundreds of demonstrat-ors on the first day of the OccupyCentral movement.

Thousands of protesters thenbroke through the police linesand stormed onto Harcourt Roadat about 4pm, about 12 hoursafter the Occupy movementkicked off in Tim Mei Avenue.

Traffic came to a standstill asdemonstrators occupied thewestbound and eastbound lanes.

At 7pm, New World First Busand City Bus said 77 bus routeswere temporarily suspended ordiverted.

About half an hour later, theMTR Corporation said trains onthe Tsuen Wan line and Islandlines would not stop at Admiralty.The service was cut for two hours.

“It is totally unexpected. It’s allabout our pursuit of democracy.Beijing now sees it; the world nowsees it; C.Y. Leung, do you see it?”Occupy co-founder Benny TaiYiu-ting said as he greeted thecrowd of thousands.Clifford Lo, Samuel Chan, Amy Nip,Chris Lau and Phila Siu

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Staff Reporters

Rights activist accuses force of ‘unprecedented’action to quell protesters; officers say they hadto stop acts that ‘endangered public safety’

SHOCK, THEN ANGER, AT POLICE TACTICS

Enveloped by clouds of tear gas smoke, a protester strikes a defiant pose during yesterday’s stand-off near the government headquarters in Admiralty. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Harcourt Road

Queensway

Lung Wo Road

Central

100m

AdmiraltyMTR station

Governmentoffices

CentralMTR station

1

2

56

7

34

1 4

5

6

7

Police throw cordon lines there at about 1.30pm

A group of protesters storm onto Harcourt Road at 3.45pm

Large crowd of protesters occupy Harcourt Road at 4.10pm

Another group storm onto Queensway at 4.45pm

Police start firing tear gas at 5.58pm in areas including Harcourt Road, Connaught Road Central near City Hall and Statue Square after protesters scatter

-

SCMP

Protest zone

No one evenguessed thepolice would beso violent. Weare unarmed ...FELIX TANG, PROTESTER

The early start of Occupy Central,the geography of the protest siteand the overnight police rein-forcements meant it was difficultfor Occupy leaders to take fullcommand of the situation.

After police used tear gas, Oc-cupy leaders called on protestersto retreat to Tamar Park, butsome remained on the road.

Co-founder Chan Kin-mansaid the crowds that stormed on-to Harcourt Road and Con-naught Road Central were “not

under [Occupy’s] control”.“Their actions were not organ-ised by us,” Chan said.

The crowds on those roadswere peaceful, he noted, and “itwas the police who provokedthem with tear gas”.

Another co-founder, the Rev-erend Chu Yiu-ming, concededthat bringing forward the Occupydate had affected the move-ment’s operation.

“A lot of our equipment wasunable to be used, including theaudio and portable toilets,” Chusaid. Their walkie-talkies had alsonot arrived. Police confiscatedthe audio equipment, including

amplifiers, saying they were notallowed at an unlawful assembly.

The lack of communicationtools considerably weakened thecommand of Occupy leaders.

The original venue of Occupywas believed to be Chater Road inthe heart of Central and nearMTR stations. Tim Mei Avenue,isolated by busy roads from innerAdmiralty and connected to theMTR only through footbridges,proved to be an unfavourablespot for a mass protest and waseasy for the police to blockade.

Significant police reinforce-ments overnight and their clo-sure of access points from Admi-

ralty meant that protesters whoturned up in the afternoon couldnot reach the core protest area.

Thousands of them, blockedby police, gathered near FenwickPier Street and Performing ArtsAvenue, unable to see or hear theOccupy leaders. Democrat LeeWing-tat tried to control thescene in this area, but without aspeaker he could only shout andtell people to sit on the road.

The lack of command and theinvisibility of Occupy leaders inthe Fenwick Pier Street areaproved crucial – dozens of young-sters soon became impatient andbroke through police cordons,stormed Gloucester Road andtried to get to Tim Mei Avenue tojoin the Occupy crowd.

Not long after, another crowdat Admiralty Centre, where policestopped people from getting on-to the footbridge to reach Tamar,also poured onto the road.

Ma Ngok, a political scientistat Chinese University, said Occu-py leaders “should not beblamed” for bringing forwardtheir campaign. “They were onlyriding on the developments ofthe class boycott,” he said.

But he also noted that Occupyhad originally planned to startwith a letter-of-no-objectionfrom police on October 1. “Now,without the letter, Occupy lead-ers put themselves in an unfav-ourable position, giving police aneasy excuse to seal off the protestsite and bar equipment”.

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They lacked means to direct demonstrators, who were isolated by police

How Occupy leaders lost grip on protest

In the end, it wasn’t energy bars,bottles of water or protective gearthat sustained protesters into thenight – it was determination.

Although it started earlierthan expected, many protesterscame prepared with food, um-brellas and goggles. Two tentswere set up, signposted “ThePeople’s Toilets”.

It was never intended to beviolent. Chan Kin-man, one ofthe organisers, had earlier talkedabout live classical music perfor-mances to create a peacefulatmosphere for the sit-in.

But any thoughts of cellos andviolins gave way to more practicalneeds: water bottles, metal barri-cades and umbrellas were whatprotesters grasped for as policelaid siege to the crowd.

In the morning, protesters setup barricades at four locations tokeep advancing officers at bay.

They moved plastic barriers leftbehind by the authorities to TimMei Avenue and Lung Wui Road,spending hours trying to fill themwith water. Some tied metal bar-riers together to block the road,attaching open umbrellas to cre-ate a shield against pepper spray.

There was an almost palpablenervousness as rumours spreadabout police reinforcements andmovements. There were manyfalse alarms, with protestersrushing behind the barricadesbefore police finally moved in.

Supporters brought suppliesfor the protesters – even thoughthey did not plan to join the civildisobedience action themselves.

Mo Cheuk-yin did not takepart yet he went to Tamar in theafternoon, carrying a bag of clingfilm, masks and ponchos to giveto the protesters. “Hongkongersshould stay united,” said Mo, 38,a designer. “The government hascompletely ignored the people.Now police are resorting to vio-lence. The city looks so strange.”

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jeffie Lam, Stuart Lau, Samuel Chan and Joyce Ng

Classical music gives wayto brollies and barricades

Some schools in Central andWestern district might suspendclasses today with principals rais-ing concerns about trafficarrangements.

The worries were doubledwhen the Professional Teachers’Union, which has 90,000 mem-bers, called on all teachers andeven principals to boycott classesfrom today.

Dr Yip Wai-ming, principal ofSt Louis School in Sai Ying Pun,said the school might considersuspending classes today, de-pending on whether police hadcleared protest scenes in Admi-ralty and Central.

“Now the traffic is all jammedup,” said Yip. “It may be a prob-lem for teachers and students togo to school tomorrow.”

An Education Bureau spokes-man said parents should listen tothe morning news for updates.

Yip said the school would notstop teachers from joining theboycott and would not punishthem. But he said these teachersmust inform the school abouttheir plans.

Albert Chung Chun-sing, sec-retary of the Federation ofParent-Teacher Associations inSouthern district, said manyschools, especially secondary,might also be affected, as manystudents and teachers needed tocross districts to go to school.

“Many parents are also wor-ried if their children, especiallysenior ones, will join the protestswithout informing them, as thesituation has escalated to such anextent,” Chung said.

Tik Chi-yuen, chief executiveof the Hong Kong Institute ofFamily Education, urged theEducation Bureau to suspendclasses at kindergartens and pri-mary and secondary schools to-day because of possible trafficdisruptions.

Fung Wai-wah, president ofthe Professional Teachers’Union, said the union started theteachers’ strike campaign to ex-press its anger towards the policeuse of “violence and weapons” todisperse protesters.

“The police have made them-selves the enemy of the people,”said Fung. “The PTU stronglycondemns the crazy actions ofthe government and police.”

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Transportfears andstrike callhit schools

A4 Thursday, October 2, 2014

OCCUPY CENTRAL – DAY 4

Both the Beijing and Hong Konggovernments are pinning theirhopes on the pro-democracyprotests running out of steamdue to fatigue and complaintsfrom people inconvenienced bythe demonstrations.

Sources close to both govern-ments gave an indication of theirthinking as uniformed police re-mained absent from a�ectedareas such as Mong Kok andCauseway Bay. Few police havebeen seen near the protests sinceMonday, despite concerns aboutpublic order and further polarisa-tion in the community.

The softy-softly approach hasbeen in place since riot policewere withdrawn after the use of87 rounds of tear gas overnight onSunday failed to break up

demonstrations in Admiralty –and indeed prompted new pro-test zones to emerge.

Tsim Sha Tsui was the latestarea a�ected, with a few dozenprotesters blocking a section ofCanton Road early yesterday, anarea full of luxury goods storespopular with mainland touristsarriving for National Day.

A mainland researcher famil-iar with the central government’sthinking said the best scenariowould be for protesters to gradu-ally pull out, worn down by fa-tigue and complaints from peo-ple fed up with the protests.

“Hongkongers should seri-ously ponder the impact on peo-ple’s livelihoods and businessoperations if the protests are pro-longed,” the researcher said.

The response of Beijing’s topman in Hong Kong, liaison o�cechief Zhang Xiaoming ,added credence to the idea of a“wait-and-see” approach. Askedabout the impact of the protest ata National Day reception, he said

only: “The sun rises as usual.”A Hong Kong government

source admitted there was littleelse the administration could do.

“We can’t a�ord to adopt ahigh-handed approach to pro-testers again after the public out-cry sparked by the use of tear gason Sunday,” the source said.

Meanwhile the prospects fordialogue between the govern-ment and protesters remain slim.

The Federation of Studentshad o�ered talks with Chief Sec-retary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor – if Chief Executive LeungChun-ying resigned �rst. An au-thoritative government sourceyesterday rejected the idea, butsaid the administration retainedan open mind on the possibilityof talks at “appropriate venues”.

Lester Shum, the federation’sdeputy secretary general, saidtalks with Lam or even Beijingo�cials were possible – if theyfaced protesters outside govern-ment headquarters.

“If Leung does not step downby today, we will escalate the pro-tests by spreading the Occupymovement to premises of othergovernment departments,”Shum said.

But the authoritative govern-ment source rejected the idea ofLeung going – even if he wantedto. “The chief executive will notresign, nor will the central gov-ernment allow him to stepdown,” the source said.

And, dismissing rumours ofdiscord at the top, the source saidthe government was “highlyunited”, adding: “It is out of thequestion that the chief secretaryadopts a softer stance while thechief executive is tougher.”

Meanwhile criticism of theprotests from business leadersgrew yesterday, as the week-longnational holiday began.

Michael Li Hon-shing, execu-tive director of the Federation ofHotel Owners, accused the stu-dents of “making Hong Kong col-lapse”. He said bookings at someWan Chai hotels had been can-celled, though the full impact hadnot yet been calculated.

“People started dumping eggs[on protesters] because they aregrowing impatient,” he said, re-ferring to incidents at the Cause-way Bay protest zone.

Sta� at the Fuk Fung Dispen-sary in the Mong Kok protestzone said business was slow.

“Of course [the protest] has af-fected business,” one shop assis-tant said. “Rents are expensivehere. We can’t pay rent or salarieswithout business, right?”

Meanwhile Chinese Univer-sity vice chancellor Professor Jo-seph Sung Jao-yiu spoke of histears when he saw Sunday’scrackdown on protesters.

“I call upon all to refrain fromusing force … I urge … dialoguebetween the government and ourstudents,” Sung wrote to stu-dents, sta� and alumni.

After tear gas failed to dislodge the protesters,officials hope fatigue and public criticism willwear them down and force end to occupation

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Few options left but

[CY Leung] willnot resign, norwill the centralgovernmentallow him toGOVERNMENT SOURCE

Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying

The National Day “golden week”holiday began yesterday on aquiet note, with prospects of theusual strong sales at prime shop-ping districts clouded by thespreading Occupy Central civildisobedience operation.

The sluggish start was badnews for luxury retailers, comingon top of falling sales this yeardue to anti-corruption policieson the mainland that put expen-sive gifting under scrutiny.

At Tsim Sha Tsui, a new Occu-py sit-in formed late on Tuesdaynight. Brand-name stores had toclose just as the holiday began,joining shops in Admiralty,Causeway Bay and Mong Kokthat had been hit since Sunday.

The �agship stores of Coachand Dolce & Gabbana near Can-ton Road were among those thatwere shuttered yesterday.

And those that opened asusual, hoping to target tourists,reported grimmer takings than inprevious National Day holidays.

New Luen Fai Medicine at Jar-dine’s Bazzar, Causeway Bay,made less than HK$100 in themorning. The pharmacy raked intens of thousands of dollars a dayduring the holiday last year, theshopkeeper said.

“It is okay for students to �ghtfor democracy, but it is not rightto impose their opinions on oth-

ers [by occupying the streets],”she said, voicing worries aboutwhen the sit-ins would end.

“This upsets people who haveneutral political views.”

Most shops on HennessyRoad were open, but not jewel-lery chains Chow Tai Fook, ChowSang Sang and TSL.

Top-end retailers and cos-metic chains in Mong Kok weresimilarly shuttered.

Chow Tai Fook closed at least22 of its 87 outlets across the city,a spokesman said.

Retail sales started falling inFebruary, when the e�ects of the

mainland’s tough anti-briberypolicies began to be felt. In Au-gust, sales of jewellery, watchesand gifts decreased 6.1 per centyear on year.

Tourists had divided viewsabout the inconvenience posedby the democracy movement.

Some, such as Qin Hong fromGuizhou province, said ithad little impact on their plans.

Qin, 23, said the wait at the LoWu checkpoint was very short inthe morning. Her friend said:“Our Hong Kong friends advisedus to stay away from Central. Butfrom what we see here [in Cause-

way Bay], the situation is not asbad as we thought.”

Ryan Ruan, 30, said his triphad not been a�ected since he ar-rived on Sunday. “It is actuallymore comfortable as there arefewer people on the streets.”

The banker from Beijingfound out about the movementon microblogging site Weibo. Hesupported Hongkongers be-cause “they should be able tospeak their minds”.

But Chen Hua, from Fujian, was unhappy that shop-

ping had become inconvenient.He knew about the protest only at

the point of boarding the plane.“[Hong Kong] news is blocked onthe mainland,” he said. “Someshops close at 7pm now. Many ofmy friends have cancelled plansto come to Hong Kong.”

Shenzhen-based Bush Wangsaid he had been lost for 45 min-utes trying to navigate theblocked roads to his hotel on Jor-dan Road. Wang said he couldunderstand why students wereprotesting, but said their de-mands for democracy clashedwith national policy.

Meanwhile, hotels in Paci�cPlace, including Conrad, UpperHouse, Shangri-La and JW Marri-ott, restricted car access andstrongly suggested that guestsused the MTR.

“There were a few [cancella-tions],” a Conrad Hotel spokes-woman said. “We have severalevents at the hotel and they arestill going on. It does not have ahuge impact on our arrivals.”

Standard & Poor’s RatingsServices said retail sales would bemost immediately a�ected.

But credit implications onproperty investment �rms anddevelopers would be limited inthe short term, the company said.

“However, downside risks toour base-case rental and prop-erty sales will increase if the situa-tion deteriorates severely or per-sists for a prolonged period, thusshaking consumer and businesscon�dence,” it stated.

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Luxury brands downbeat, tourists more divided

It is morecomfortable as there arefewer people on the streetsRYAN RUAN, TOURIST

Lynn Butler,teacher, bringingsupplies to MongKok with herhusband: “We just

want to tell all of you [students]that many Westerners in HongKong are proud and amazed ...We really want to express ouradmiration and respect to thismovement for democracy. InSouth Africa, where we arefrom, and the UK where we usedto live, protests of this scaleusually mean broken windowsand stores lit on fire. We wereoriginally here just to makemoney for retirement, but weare now deciding to stay forgood. This is really an excitingperiod for Hong Kong.”

Elderly manberatingprotesters anddisrupting theirsit-in in Tsim Sha

Tsui: “The unemployment rateis low, there is a social securitysystem, what else do you guyswant? Please consider theinterests of the Chinesegovernment. How could itfunction if other cities on themainland demanded universalsuffrage?”

Deledda Ma Yee-ki, 37, teacher,collecting rubbishwith her husbandin Admiralty: “I

feel it’s not enough to just sithere. I want to contribute.”

Tourist fromLiaoning province who hadbeen unaware ofthe protests

before arriving: “What’s goingon here? Why are they here? Ithink they just have nothingbetter to do.”

Caesar Chan, localstudent: “Whatbetter place thanhere, what bettertime than now?”

STREET TALK

The sun may rise as usual, butOccupy Central hasn’t felt anywarmth from Beijing.

With city streets �lled by de-mocracy protests, Zhang Xiaom-ing ,director of the centralgovernment’s liaison o�ce inHong Kong, responded for the�rst time yesterday to a barrage ofmedia questions about the pro-tests. He said with a slight smile:“The sun rises as usual.”

Occupy Central co-founderDr Chan Kin-man disagreed.

“To be honest, even if the sunhas risen, we don’t feel thewarmth,” he said.

“Dark clouds have been cov-ering us, particularly in the pasttwo years since Leung was sworninto o�ce.”

Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying and one of his predecessors,Tung Chee-hwa, were tight-lipped at the National Day �ag-raising ceremony yesterday atthe Convention and ExhibitionCentre in Wan Chai.

In his opening remarks,Leung did not mention the massprotests or the Occupy move-ment directly.

He called for “peaceful, law-ful, rational and pragmatic”means in pushing forward uni-versal su�rage.

And he reiterated that a popu-lar vote, which would allow thecity’s �ve million eligible voters tochoose their next leader, wouldbe an improvement from the cur-rent electoral system, which al-lows only 1,200 members of theelection committee to vote.

Leung’s remarks were greeted

with jeers from League of SocialDemocrats lawmaker “LongHair” Leung Kwok-hung, whohad ditched his trademark T-shirts and was dressed in a suit.

Chanting slogans, he calledfor Leung’s resignation and foruniversal su�rage. Security sta�escorted him o� after about 30seconds.

District councillor Paul Zim-merman, a former Civic Partymember, brought a yellow um-brella to the ceremony – a symbolof the protest movement – as a si-lent statement against the policeforce’s use of tear gas on thecrowds who gathered on Sunday.

“C.Y. and the police commis-sioner owe Hong Kong an apol-ogy, nothing less than an apol-ogy, for what they have done,”Zimmerman said.

Earlier yesterday, guests and

o�cials arrived by ferry at theconvention centre �ag-raisingceremony to avoid the crowds ofprotesters.

While more people seemed tobe pouring into the city’s centraldistrict to take part in the civil dis-obedience movement, a carnivalorganised by the Home A�airsDepartment as part of NationalDay celebrations struggled to at-tract visitors.

The National Day Extrava-ganza at Victoria Park occupiedfour soccer pitches, but drew justa few hundred visitors.

An attempt by the Civil Hu-man Rights Front to hold a Na-tional Day demonstration in thepark was previously turned downbecause the Leisure and CulturalServices Department said theHome A�airs Department sub-mitted the application �rst.

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‘The sun rises as usual’: Beijing’s man

Many luxury outlets in the prime shopping districts remained closed yesterday. Photos: K.Y. Cheng

to wait it out

Thursday, October 2, 2014 A5

OCCUPY CENTRAL – DAY 4

Police chief Andy Tsang Wai-hunghas praised his frontline officersfor their handling of the OccupyCentral protests on Sunday.

In an address to the officers atthe central government offices inTamar yesterday, Tsang, dressedin uniform, said: “There werecriticisms and invectives. But Iwould like to tell you, you havenot done anything wrong.”

Loud applause could be heardin an 11-second video clip leakedto the media.

The participants were thosewho had been deployed torespond to the protesters onSunday, during which 87 roundsof tear gas were fired.

Also at the meeting were ChiefExecutive Leung Chun-ying, ChiefSecretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and Secretary for SecurityLai Tung-kwok. Leung praised thepolice for their hard work, whileLam said she appreciated theofficers faced difficulties and thatthey were also “victims” of thepolitical situation.

Police were criticised for usingexcessive force on Sunday. Theuse of tear gas, in particular,fanned the anger of the peopleand encouraged more of them tojoin the street protests.

Meanwhile, Hampshire-basedChemring, the British companythat supplies tear gas to thepolice, was reviewing its salespolicy, The Guardian newspaperreported.

British government officialsalso made it clear they wouldreview their policy if asked toapprove future export licences fortear gas to Hong Kong.

However, British ForeignSecretary Philip Hammond said itwas largely immaterial becausethe gas could be bought in manyother places, including the UnitedStates.

The Campaign Against theArms Trade said Britain had soldHK$2.2 million worth of tear gasto the city in the past four years.

POLICE CHIEF IN BID TO BOOST MORALE

(Clockwise from left): Leung Chun-ying at the ceremony, and Paul Zimmerman’s yellow umbrella; the flagceremony in Golden Bauhinia Square; a puppeteer, flags and a mock cinema, in Victoria Park;Scholarism’s Joshua Wong (centre) in Golden Bauhinia Square. Photos: K.Y. Cheng, Jonathan Wong, Chris Lau

The occupation of Tsim Sha Tsuilate on Tuesday and the �ag- raising ceremony a few hourslater revealed splits in strategiesand frictions emerging amongthe growing number of protest-ers against Beijing’s politicalreform framework.

Metal barricades and a truckwere used to block a section ofCanton Road in an apparentlyspontaneous sit-in by a few hun-dred protesters in Tsim Sha Tsuion Tuesday night.

Unlike the three other sit-insites – Admiralty, Causeway Bayand Mong Kok – no campaignleaders came to give lectures andno marshals from the studentgroups or the Occupy Centralmovement could be spotted.

The supply station – whichgave out face masks, umbrellasand refreshments – was run bynon-student volunteers.

Lester Shum, deputy secre-tary general of the Federation ofStudents, said they could notstop people extending the protestto more sites but would call onsupporters to remain in the threeoriginal areas.

And Joshua Wong Chi-fung,convenor of the student activistgroup Scholarism, said the sit-inin Tsim Sha Tsui had not beenmobilised by them.

“The turnout … has far ex-ceeded our expectations. Wehave not got enough resources toprovide supplies to the [extra]site,” he added.

At the National Day �ag- raising ceremony in Wan Chai’sGolden Bauhinia Square yester-day, protesters argued over themost e�ective tactics.

Scholarism members, whoadvocate peaceful protest, set upmetal barricades at the entrancesto the square overnight to pre-vent the ceremony beingstormed by demonstrators. Be-fore dawn, about 20 protesters ar-rived who appeared to favour amore confrontational approach.

A passionate debate with theScholarism members ensued asthey argued that they had a rightto protest in a more radical way.

About 30 Scholarism mem-bers and radical protesters even-tually were allowed past securityand into the ceremony.

There, Scholarism membersturned their backs, forming across with their arms signifying“no”, as the national and HongKong �ags were raised and thenational anthem played. Theyleft as the �ags were hoisted.

In contrast, the radical pro-testers yelled “Step down 689”when Chief Executive LeungChun-ying entered the square.Leung was elected leader of thecity by getting 689 votes from the1,200-strong election committee. Emily Tsang, Jeffie Lam, Chris Lau,Timmy Sung and Peter So

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Signs offriction asprotest sitesextended

The occupiers have agreed toremove barriers on East PointRoad on the east side of Sogo, buthave declined to open up Hen-nessy Road.

Police said a total of 4.2km ofroads on Hong Kong Island andin Kowloon had been occupiedyesterday, compared with3.67km on Tuesday.

In Mong Kok, protesters yes-terday booed away police and �reservice o�cers when theyattempted to discuss towingaway a New World First Bus(NWFB) vehicle stranded in therallying area on Mong Kok Road.An NWFB spokesman said thecompany was considering waysto get the bus back.

O�cers said the bus woulda�ect emergency routes but atow truck they sent in was forcedto reverse and leave the scene.

Occupy co-organiser ChanKin-man said lighter barriers hadbeen set up and could beremoved in seconds.

Ambulances were sum-moned 221 times yesterday andon 26 occasions could not reachthose who needed help withinthe promised 12 minutes.

Fire engines were called 12times with three unable to reachthe scene within six minutes.

ian corridors” where barrierscould be removed quickly to giveaccess for emergency vehicles.

But deputy chief �re o�cerLeung Wai-hung said it was “notas simple as a corridor” when itcame to putting out a �re.

Fire rescue work neededenough ground-level space to setup apparatus such as ladders andelevated platforms, he said.

“In places where many peopleare gathering and a lot of stu� isplaced on the ground, it’s noteasy to clear out a way quickly,”Leung said, calling for protestersto open up more roads.

Protesters in Causeway Bayagreed to clear makeshift barriersfrom a section of the rallying siteoutside the Sogo shopping mallyesterday to allow �re engines topass.

But Fire Services Departmentnegotiators failed to secure a sim-ilar agreement with occupiers ofstreets in Mong Kok. No talkshave been held with demonstrat-ors in Admiralty.

The talks followed an o�er byprotesters to set up “humanitar-

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Barriers removed for fire engines

Officers tried but failed to tow away this bus. Photo: SCMP Pictures

From the South China Sea toTibet and Xinjiang ,the mainland is beset by prob-lems brought on by foreign inter-ference. Now Hong Kong hasbecome part of the country’s vol-atile frontier, experiencing tur-moil at the hands of meddlingforeign governments.

So said mainland state media,as the city’s massive protestmovement for universal su�rageentered its fourth day yesterday.

Academics say state views areshaped by a Marxist outlook andhistory. Hong Kong has played acritical role in earlier politicalmovements on the mainland.

Pointing �ngers could make itmore di�cult for foreign govern-ments to lend their support andeasier for the mainland author-ities to de�ect blame.

In a commentary publishedon the eve of National Day, thePeople’s Daily website comparedthe Hong Kong protests with col-our revolutions in former Sovietcountries and the Arab Spring inthe Middle East, insisting that allwere instigated by the West.

“Today they are repeatingtheir tricks, and get very excitedwhen they see ‘moves’ in HongKong. Their dirty hands arereaching out through the cracks,”read the commentary, which wasalso carried on the Xinhua web-site. “Can’t you see that Britishand American diplomats arealready making irresponsibleremarks?”

The White House on Mondayurged the Hong Kong govern-ment to exercise restraint. BritishPrime Minister David Cameronsaid on Tuesday that he was

“deeply concerned” about thesituation in Hong Kong.

University of Nottinghamcontemporary Chinese studiesprofessor Steve Tsang said thatby claiming foreign interference,Beijing had made it di�cult forany other countries to lend sup-port to the Hong Kong demon-strators as any support could beread as meddling.

“It’s a pre-emptive strikemaking it very di�cult for theAmerican and British govern-ments,” Tsang said.

Chinese foreign ministry o�-cials also expressed concern overforeign interference duringmeetings with diplomats postedto the city, several diplomats havesaid in recent months. On Mon-day, Beijing underscored itspoint by sending an o�cial letterto consulates in Hong Kong,reminding diplomats and theirsta� not to join the protests.

David Zweig, a professor ofpolitical science at Hong KongUniversity of Science and Tech-nology, said Beijing’s habit ofblaming domestic problems onforeign governments could haveits roots in the administration’sMarxist mentality.

“There is a strong viewpointwithin Marxism that talks aboutthe external having an impactthrough the internal,” said Zweig,who studied Marxism in China.

“There are internal contradic-tions everywhere, but these con-tradictions don’t have to turninto major problems until thereare some external forces.”

Beijing might be sensitiveabout what happens in HongKong because of the role the cityhas played in aiding oppositionmovements.

Deng Yuwen, a former editorof the Study Times , a newspapera�liated with the Central PartySchool, said o�cials sometimesput the focus on foreign interfer-ence to sidestep their ownresponsibility.

“By saying there are foreignfactors, o�cials may be held lessaccountable for the problemsfacing the government,” Dengsaid. “O�cials may know theother reasons behind the prob-lem, but they will tell the publicthat foreign interference is toblame.”

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kristine Kwok and Teddy Ng

‘Marxist outlook’ explains Beijing’s finger-pointing

It’s a pre-emptivestrike making itvery difficult for the [US] and [Britain]ACADEMIC STEVE TSANG

tics �rm, asked his sta� to parktheir trucks on Argyle Street.Around 20 trucks and private carshad joined the “glorious mis-sion”, he said.

“When I saw the use of tear gason unarmed students in Admiral-ty and learned that some protest-ers would be in Mong Kok, I de-cided to come,” Man said. “Weare worried about the safety ofthe schoolchildren.”

One of his employees saidthey had no fear. “It is a righteousthing to do. The police are not

protecting the students, so weshould,” he said, referring to alack of police presence for twonights in a row.

Painted on his vehicles weresuch slogans as “You use a car tocrash, we use cars to shield”.

The roadblocks in Mong Kokand elsewhere could delayemergency services, some fear.Police have urged protesters toremove them.

Early yesterday, protesterssaid they found a man trying toremove some of their roadblocks.

In Causeway Bay, there hasalso been a backlash against theprotesters. A 59-year-old womanwas arrested yesterday for alleg-edly throwing two pieces ofwatermelon skin and a bag �lledwith water from her �at in Yee WoStreet, where thousands are stag-ing a sit-in. The woman also al-legedly assaulted police o�cersduring her arrest.

The incident happened a dayafter three eggs and �ve orangeswere thrown from the samebuilding. Three girls were hit bythe oranges.

ther unexpected incursions. Ataround 2am on Tuesday, protest-ers had to scatter clear of a Merce-des-Benz, driven by Cheung Wai-ming, 59, through a section ofArgyle Street near the junctionwith Nathan Road. No one wasinjured.

Cheung, who was later arrest-ed on suspicion of dangerousdriving, has been released onbail. He told media that he wasexercising his citizen’s right touse the road.

Man Ka-ho, who owns a logis-

With no police around, protest-ers in Mong Kok have created avigilante patrol, bee�ng up secu-rity around Nathan Road and Ar-gyle Street, a spillover of the mainoccupation site in Admiralty.

Protesters jumped into actionafter a car buzzed through thecrowd early Tuesday morning.

Trucks, vans and private carswere positioned to form barri-cades at entry points to the cross-roads, while rubbish bins and busstop poles were moved to themiddle of both roads.

Adding to those barriers wereseven double-decker buses leftdeserted in the initial hours of theprotesters’ surprise takeover ofthe major tra�c junction.

The blockades stretchedalong 1km of Nathan Road, be-tween Mong Kok and Waterlooroads.

Volunteers have also steppedup patrols to guard against anypolice intrusion and prevent fur-

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Stuart Lau, Ernest Kao and Danny Mok

Protesters in Mong Kok form their own security

Protesters in Mong Kok have barricaded the site. Photo: David Wong

Police chief Tsang Wai-hung(right) meets frontline officers.

A4 Monday, October 20, 2014

OCCUPY CENTRAL – DAY 22

Concerns are growing that theOccupy movement in Mong Kokhas spun out of control and is onthe verge of turning into a riot,after nights of violent clashessince police reclaimed part of therally site on Friday.

New clashes erupted betweenprotesters and police in MongKok early yesterday, just hoursafter Chief Secretary Carrie LamCheng Yuet-ngor announcedthat talks with student leaderswere scheduled for tomorrow.

Some protesters tried to re-move barricades on the junctionof Nathan Road and Argyle Streetshortly after midnight, prompt-ing officers to warn them againstcharging police cordons.

Officers then used batons tocounter the protesters’ umbrel-las. At about the same time, po-lice reinforcements arrived andrushed into the protest zone topush the crowds back.

Images of protesters withblood streaming down their faceswere widely circulated on socialmedia.

One protester said he sawplainclothes policemen hittingprotesters after they moved intothe protest zone.

“I saw anti-triad officers hit-ting protesters with batons. Sev-eral protesters suffered headinjuries and were bleeding. Theyalso dismantled supply stations,”said the protester, who gave hissurname as Lo.

Another protester blamed po-lice for the violence.

“I was here last night and the

police were hitting the protesterson their heads and arms withtheir batons. But the protesterswere not doing anything,” saidthe 26-year-old, who works at anelderly care centre.

Labour Party lawmaker Fer-nando Cheung Chiu-hung told atalk show yesterday that he wasworried about the situation. “Ihave been to Mong Kok manytimes, and it is on the verge of ariot,” he said. “But it is very simpleto handle the situation. The gov-ernment needs to respond to thepublic’s demands.”

Winnie Chiu Wai-yin, actingdirector of the police force’smanagement services, said theMong Kok protest zone was “verydangerous”, with radical ele-ments infiltrating the crowd.

On a radio programme, shecalled on people to stop charging

at police cordons, and said police“did not want to be embroiled inthe political turmoil”.

But the Federation of Stu-dents’ deputy leader Lester Shumtold the City Forum that protest-ers were holding up their handsor umbrellas when their headswere bloodied by police batons.

“If you say this is a riot, it wasonly caused by police who usedforce. Only [Chief Executive]Leung Chun-ying is able to con-trol the movement now,” he said.

Yvonne Leung Lai-kwok, an-other spokeswoman for the fed-eration, also denied the move-ment had spun out of control.

She said that even when someprotesters wanted to storm theroads, other protesters tried tostop them. But before they hadthe chance to do so, the policehad used pepper spray, she said.

Secretary for Food and HealthDr Ko Wing-man told the pro-testers that violence was counterproductive. “I am very concernedabout the recent direction of [Oc-cupy], especially what seems tobe evidence pointing to purpose-ful violence and attacks in MongKok,” Ko said.

Dr Au Yiu-kai, medical head ofthe Occupy Central movement,said his team treated 13 protest-ers during the latest clashes.

“And seven of them sustainedinjuries to their heads with bloodstreaming down their faces. Thepolice were hitting them withtheir batons. That was not mini-mum force as the police haveclaimed,” Au said.

“Some of them refused to gettreated in hospital because theyfeared they would get arrested.Hitting people with batons cancause concussion and fracturethe skull. It could be fatal.”

Police said four men aged 25to 37 were arrested during theearly hours of yesterday on suspi-cion of assault, possession of of-fensive weapons and disorderlyconduct in a public place.

Police also said three protest-ers and five police officers wereinjured.

Hospital Authority figuresshowed that 20 people were in-jured from 10pm on Saturday to6am yesterday due to the Occupymovement.

Protesters man the barricades in Mong Kok early yesterday. There have been violent clashes in the area since police reclaimed part of the rally site on Friday. Photo: Sam Tsang

Violent clashes between protesters and police have become a regular occurrence in Mong Kok

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Phila Siu, Joyce Ng and Timmy Sung

Spinning out of control?

I have been to Mong Kokmany times, and it is on theverge of a riotFERNANDO CHEUNG, LABOUR PARTY

Credit-card spending hasplunged as major shopping areasare hit by Occupy protests, thefinancial secretary says.

John Tsang Chun-wahdid notprovide statistics, but said thegovernment had started to col-lect data to assess the impact ofOccupy on the economy.

“Preliminary data shows thatretail and catering industries inrelevant districts have been hardhit,” Tsang wrote on his blogyesterday. “Overall credit-cardspending has droppedconsiderably.”

The impact would soon be re-flected in short- and medium-term economic data, Tsang said.While the financial market re-mained stable, Tsang said thatsome foreign investors were de-laying decisions before makinginvestments in Hong Kong.

He urged protesters to leavethe streets as soon as possible,saying they had already madetheir voices heard.

“The clashes in Mong Kok …can only make one believe thatsome people want to destroypublic order just for the sake of it.They are messing around in theOccupy movement,” he said.

A similar point was made bySecretary for Labour and WelfareMatthew Cheung Kin-chung,who said that shops and restau-rants in Mong Kok and CausewayBay had complained to him thatthey have had no customers atnight.

“If the situation continues, weare worried because employersmight lay off casual staff,”Cheung said. “They won’t hiretemporary workers and may alsoask employees to take outstand-ing leave.”

He also said the Occupyprotests had affected elderly anddisabled people who needed totravel for regular medicalappointments.

Terence Chong Tai-leung, aneconomics professor at ChineseUniversity, agreed that Occupyhad affected retail businesses be-cause the protest sites were inareas frequented by tourists.

But Chong said Occupy wasunlikely to affect the financialmarket, as it was not dependenton a physical area.

The upcoming Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connectscheme would even boost trans-actions, Chong said.

According to the ImmigrationDepartment, 1.09 million main-land tourists visited Hong Kongduring the week-long holidayfrom National Day on October 1.This was 6.8 per cent higher thanthe same period last year.

But the number of registeredpackage tours from the mainlandhad dropped by 20 to 30 per centsince August, according to theTravel Industry Council of HongKong.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Joyce Ngjoyce.ng@scmp.com

Financial secretarysays retail and cateringindustries in occupiedareas are suffering

Credit-cardspending hitby protests,Tsang warns

Police say more arrests could bemade of those who use the inter-net to incite others to join the“unlawful” Occupy protests.

The warning came after a 23-year-old man was arrested in TinShui Wai on Saturday for postingmessages on an online forum encouraging people to join anunlawful assembly, charge atpolice and block railways,

The man was charged with“access to computer with crimi-nal or dishonest intent” andunlawful assembly after he wasfound to have joined the protestsin Mong Kok on Friday, policesaid.

The suspect has been releasedon bail and investigations areongoing.

At the daily press conferenceyesterday, the police public rela-tions bureau head, Chief Super-intendent Steve Hui Chun-tak ,said more such arrests were pos-sible and that it was a “very seri-ous criminal offence” to “inciteothers” to join the protests.

Hui reiterated that most laws

that apply to the real world wereapplicable to the internet andsaid that the force would makearrests if there was adequateevidence.

Hui did not reveal the exactwording of what was postedonline, but said the suspect “wasinciting others to join an unlawfulassembly in Mong Kok, to chargepolice cordons and to paralysethe railway”.

“These amount to incitementof a very serious nature, andtherefore we made the arrest,”said Hui.

This is understood to be thefirst such arrest since the Occupy

Central movement began onSeptember 28.

Stephen Hung Wan-shun, acriminal lawyer and president ofthe Law Society, said the chargewas more common than mostwould think. He also said policewould not have to prove whetheranyone had actually acted afterreading the forum posting, butthe suspect could argue the plau-sibility of incitement in court.

“The number of readers of thecomment would dictate theseverity of the offence,” he said.

Eric Cheung Tat-ming, asolicitor and principal lecturer atthe University of Hong Kong lawfaculty, said there was legal basisfor such an arrest but it dependedon how clear the criminal intentwas.

“If you say, ‘Let’s go andattend a peaceful civil disobedi-ence movement’, then it’s harderto prove there is criminal intentbut if you say, ‘Let’s go charge atpolice’ then the criminal intent isclearer,” Cheung said. “We mustnote that this is all happeningwithin the context of OccupyCentral.”

He said it was difficult to saywhether it would set a precedentfor further such arrests, butadded it was possible that policewould now be monitoring theinternet more strictly. “The legalweighing of what you say onlineand what you say in real life ispretty much the same,” he said.

In a similar case, a man wasarrested in 2010 for posting amessage on an online forumabout bombing the central gov-ernment’s liaison office. His casereached the top court in March,but was quashed by judges.

The judges said the man hadsent his message on the web as a“medium”. But the charge laid onhim – outraging public decency –required the act to be done in a“physical, tangible place”, whichdid not encompass cyberspace.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Samuel Chan and Ernest Kao

Force says more arrests could be made after firstperson is charged for posts on internet forum

Don’t incite others online, police warn protesters

A 23-year-old man was arrested for an online post that encouragedpeople to charge police during Occupy protests. Photo: Sam Tsang

The number ofreaders … woulddictate theseverity of the offenceSOLICITOR ERIC CHEUNG

Occupy Central organisers wereaccused of plotting for anindependent Hong Kong in acommentary published in statemedia yesterday.

The article penned by “He Yi-min”, in Communist Partymouthpiece the People’s Daily,said the demonstrators’ slogan of“our fate should be decided byus” revealed the true intentionsof the action’s “organisers andcontrollers”.

“What they want is not elec-toral democracy or the‘high-degree of autonomy’ under‘one country [two systems]’,rather, they want Hong Kong ‘toact on her own’, have ‘self-deter-mination’ and to even be ‘inde-pendent’,” it said.

The commentary mentionedthe chairman of Next Media, Jim-my Lai Chee-ying, and several

other Occupy cam-paigners, accusingthem of working withTaiwan’s pro-inde-pendency activists toplan the Occupymovement.

Professor Dong Likun, a se-nior research fellow at the Insti-tute of Hong Kong and Macau Af-fairs, a think tank under the StateCouncil’s Development Re-search Centre, echoed the com-mentary. Dong said the city’s op-position politicians were pro-Washington or pro-London, andif any of their members weregiven executive power, theywould lead Hong Kong awayfrom the mainland, which couldbe viewed as pursuing indepen-dence.

“To topple the present HongKong SAR administration is notsimply about removing LeungChun-ying,” Dong said, referringto the chief executive. “It is aboutthe Occupy movement attempt-

ing to overturn an administrationthat is in alignment with the cen-tral government [in Beijing].”

State media also widely car-ried two commentaries on theissue, with the author listed as“Guoping”, an apparent penname which translates as “na-tional peace” or “state’s view”.

One said the movement wasultimately a violent protest, andthe second reasserted Beijing’sclaim that foreign powers wereworking behind the scenes.

The US and Britain hadpushed the unrest to its currentlevel, challenging China’s na-tional dignity and interest, it said.

State Councilor Yang Jiechidiscussed the Hong Kong

crisis when he met US Secretaryof State John Kerry in Boston fortwo days of talks.

A senior US State Departmentofficial said Yang and Kerry hadengaged in a “non-combative”yet “direct and candid” exchangeover a range of issues, includingHong Kong.

Foreign Ministry spokesmanQin Gang said Yang had askedthe US to refrain from supportingOccupy Central, Xinhua said.

“We are resolutely opposed toall kinds of illegal activities thatundermine Hong Kong’s rule oflaw and social order and firmlysupport the SAR government inhandling these in accordancewith the law so as to safeguardHong Kong’s social stability,”Yang was quoted as saying.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Keira Lu Huangkeira.huang@scmp.com

Occupy wants self-rule: state media

They want HongKong ‘to act onher own’ … andto even be‘independent’PEOPLE’S DAILY COMMENTARY

Jimmy Lai

The Civic Party protester allegedly beaten by police inAdmiralty last Wednesday will seek a judicial review ifthe force fails to disclose the identifies of the officersinvolved by 10am today.

As he made a second report to Wan Chai policestation yesterday, Ken Tsang Kin-chiu, a 39-year-oldsocial worker, said police had not taken any actionsince he made a complaint before his release lastweek. “Despite having reported the serious crime...the assailants have not been arrested or prosecuted,”Tsang’s lawyer, Michael Vidler, said.

Vidler said police had made an“excuse” for the non-disclosure bysaying Tsang had not made aformal complaint.

Last week, TVB cameras filmedseveral people – allegedly policeofficers – kicking and punching theunarmed Tsang in a dark corner inAdmiralty’s Tamar Park during theprotest. Another clip showed Tsanghad poured liquid on officers beforehe was arrested. Vidler has denied

allegations that urine and faeces were thrown. Vidlersaid he would seek a court order if police did notdisclose the identities of the officers allegedlyinvolved today. He would also seek a courtdeclaration that the treatment handed out to Tsangwas “cruel, inhuman or degrading, if not torture”.

A police spokeswoman said Tsang’s request wasbeing dealt with in accordance with “establishedprocedures”.

Meanwhile, Chan Cho-kwong, chairman of theJunior Police Officers’ Association,said his organisation had set up aconcern group with the PoliceInspectors’ Association to providefinancial aid, counselling or legaladvice to any colleagues whoneeded help due to their recentheavy workload.

There were no plans to raisefunds for the seven officersinvolved in Tsang’s case yet, Chansaid.Joyce Ng

BEATEN PROTESTER DEMANDS POLICE NAME OFFICERS

Ken Tsang outside the policeheadquarters in Wan Chai.

Printed and published by South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd, Morning Post Centre, 22 Dai Fat Street, Tai Po Industrial Estate, Tai Po, Hong Kong. Tel: 2680 8888.

A12 Wednesday, December 31, 2014

A lone protester stands defiant amid tear gas in Admiralty. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Taking part in a Valentine’s Day display at Times Square. Photo: Sam Tsang

A boy holds a candle at the June 4 vigil in Victoria Park. Photo: Nora Tam

A mountain biker tests the trails on Tai Mo Shan. Photo: Jonathan Wong

A pedestrian crosses a Causeway Bay road in heavy rain. Photo: Bruce Yan

A security guard and police protect the government headquarters. Photo: May Tse

A vessel is grounded off Butterfly Beach in Tuen Mun. Photo: Dickson Lee

A couple walk across flooded Leighton Road in Causeway Bay. Photo: Edmond So

An elderly woman is oblivious to passing marathon runners. Photo: David Wong

Tourists focus on Hong Kong from a Peak vantage point. Photo: Edward Wong International Commerce Centre peeks out from storm clouds. Photo: Felix Wong

An Occupy banner and a student with an umbrella on Lion Rock. Photo: Robert Ng

The Bird’s Nest and Water Cube in double exposure in Beijing. Photo: Simon Song

Our photographerswere asked tocome up with theirfavourite shots ofthe past 12 months– a year that hasseen the OccupyCentralmovement,sporting eventsgalore, foulweather and acontinuing in�uxof tourists, and inBeijing the Asia-Paci�c EconomicCooperation(Apec) summit.

Our snapperstake thousands ofphotos every yearand only a fewmake it to thepages of thenewspaper.

They have chosenthese as theirfavourites, thoughnot necessarily themost newsworthyor indeed thosepublished.

This page isdedicated to them.

A giant protest umbrella is laid out in Causeway Bay. Photo: Martin Chan

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