Crackdown in Hong Kong

1 P.M. UPDATE: 

LAWMAKERS ALSO 

ROUNDED UP BY HONG 

KONG POLICE

Protest Leaders Are Being Rounded Up In Broad Daylight And The Paramilitary Police Are Conducting Open Anti-Riot Drills.

TruNews

31 August, 2019

1 p.m. Update: Tensions continued to rise in Hong Kong today as politicians were also rounded up by police ahead of expected protests in violation of a ban on mass demonstrations.

Activists Joshua Wong Chi-fung and Agnes Chow Ting, both of whom belong to the Demosisto political party, were arrested. Also swept up in the police crackdown was Andy Chan Ho-tin, leader of the Hong Kong National Party, which has been outlawed.

They were joined later in the day by pro-democracy lawmakers Cheng Chung-tai, Au Nok-hin, and Jeremy Tam Man-ho. The legislators were detained on a raft of charges related to previous protests against the government’s extradition bill.

Following his release on bail, Wong railed against Chinese President Xi Jinping:

“Beijing just conveniently manipulates Hong Kong people’s freedom. I urge the international community to send a message to President Xi: sending troops or using the emergency ordinance is not the way out.”

Additionally, Hong Kong police have stopped foot patrols and scaled back some of its anti-crime operations due to staffing constraints and the risk of being attacked. Officers are still patrolling in vehicles. The average response time is about 9 minutes on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon Bay, and about 15 minutes in the so-called “New Territories.”

Police officials say there has been an increase in the number of calls that were intended only to lure in officers who were then assaulted. These calls typically come in the hours before or after a major public meeting or procession. More than 200 police officers have been injured in clashes over the past 12 weeks.

Original Report: Hong Kong is once again bracing for a weekend of violent protests—and a potential military crackdown—as leaders of the protest movement were snatched up today in broad daylight.

Officials at the Hong Kong International Airport say they are ready to cancel flights as part of contingency plans to reduce take-offs and landings in the event of more protests in the terminals. Protesters have said they plan to “stress test” all transportation modes in and out of the city on Sunday.

The Airport Authority issued the following statement:

“Airport Authority Hong Kong is aware that there have been calls for attempts to block traffic to Hong Kong International Airport on 1 September, as well as calls for public activities in different parts of Hong Kong on 2 and 3 September. Passengers are advised to allow sufficient time to travel to the airport. Passengers may also check with their respective airlines, or visit the airport’s website and “HKG My Flight” mobile app for updated flight information.”

During a Thursday press conference, protest organizers said:

“We hope to use this opportunity to tour around the area, welcome visitors to Hong Kong, as well as to express our apologies and share more about the movement with foreigners. We call for all Hong Kong citizens to come to the unrestricted areas of the airport with a humble and peaceful attitude. We hope to restore Hong Kong’s reputation as a tourist-friendly city.”

Today, another group of protest organizers were in court, attempting to appeal a Hong Kong Police Force decision to ban their planned demonstrations on Saturday. Civil Human Rights Front has peacefully protested a 2012 law that substantially curtailed voting rights in the city.

After the court refused to countermand the police decision, the group’s leader, Jimmy Sham Tsz-kit, suggested the protest would occur on another day:

“We have done everything we can. But we’ll continue to apply for future marches on the same theme of calling for universal suffrage.”

Meanwhile, the police have been rounding up high-profile members of the protest movement. One was grabbed while walking down the street in broad daylight. Police Public Relations Branch Chief Superintendent Tse Chun-chung told reporters that seven people in all had been arrested for “unlawful acts in the past two months.”

He added:

“The time of an arrest does not dictate our investigation. We will arrest a person as soon as we have gathered sufficient evidence to prove his or her offense. The allegation that we time our arrests is totally false.

“The crux is very simple: if someone breaks the law, police will bring him or her to justice. Police are duty-bound to preserve public safety and order. Enforcing the law is our responsibility. Please do not give excuses for those offenders.”

The Hong Kong Police Force also called on the public not to participate in unauthorized public events over the weekend. Hong Kong Island Regional Commander Kwok Pak-chung said:

“We respect citizens’ right to assembly and freedom of expression. Police are also duty-bound to preserve public peace, protect life, and property. To prevent potential public danger arising from [the Civil Human Rights Front] public event, we made this deliberate decision.”

He also reminded the public that those participating in unauthorized protests face up to five years in jail.

In mainland China, however, the People’s Liberation Army is preparing for a crackdown. The paramilitary People’s Armed Police staged a new round of drills in neighboring Shenzhen that closely mirrored the anti-government protests occurring in Hong Kong.

Click here to see video of the drill: https://tinyurl.com/y3gofj5j

In state-run media, Beijing-based military expert Zhou Chenming said the drills were a clear warning to the semi-autonomous city:

“There will be some protests this weekend and the drill in Shenzhen was intended to be a deterrent. It doesn’t mean Shenzhen will send paramilitary police to Hong Kong to help. The central government still believes Hong Kong police are more capable and experienced than their Shenzhen counterparts to deal with the riots.”

This move closely follows the “annual troop rotation” for the PLA’s Hong Kong garrison that saw the military swap out its combat armored vehicles for those better suited for quashing riots. All that is required, mainland media reports state, is a request from the Hong Kong government to intercede.

(Photo Credit: People’s Armed Police)