HK bans face masks at protests
behind at least three of 10 killings, which took place in Hwaseong, a city south of Seoul, between 1986 and 1991.
a man had confessed to nine of the killings. He also confessed to
about 30 sexual assaults. One of the 10 Hwaseong deaths is now believed to be a copycat murder,
The man — in his 50s — is already in prison serving a life sentence, according to police.
Nine criminal investigators worked to build rapport with the suspect — and last week his attitude changed, according to HONG KONG: The government of this island-state is expected to order the banning of wearing masks during protests, a move opponents said would be a turning point that tips the
Seething public anger against Chinese rule of the semi-autonomous city has exploded into huge demonstrations and increasingly violent confrontations, with no sign of an end to nearly four months of unrest.
Protesters have used face masks
yellow helmets, goggles and respirators to protect themselves from tear gas and police projectiles.
Local media reported embattled leader Carrie Lam was expected to meet her Cabinet on Friday morning to decide whether they should enact the Emergency Regulations Ordinance to ban all face coverings.
Reports said Lam plans to bypass the legislature to announce the mask ban under emergency powers to quash four months of anti-government demonstrations.
Thousands of people, all wearing masks, chanted slogans calling for greater democracy as they marched in the city’s business district.
They chanted “I want to wear face masks” and “Wearing mask is not a crime,” as many cars, stuck
in support.
“Will they arrest 100,000 people on the street? The government is trying to intimidate us but at this moment, I don’t think the people will be scared,” one protester, who gave his surname as Lui, told an online live broadcast.
Analysts warned the use of the
time in over half a decade dangerous precedent.
The law, a relic of British rule, enacted in 1922 to quell a seamens strike and last used to crush riots in 1967, gives broad powers to the city’s chief executive to implement regulations in an emergency.
“Even though the mask ban is just a small move under the Emergency Ordinance, it is a
set a
If the anti- mask legislation proves to be ineffective, it could lead the way to more draconian measures such as a curfew and other infringement of civil liberties,” said Willy Lam, adjunct professor at the Chinese University.
The planned ban follows widespread violence in the city Tuesday that marred China’s National Day
since the protests started in June over a now-shelved extradition bill.
The wounded teenager was charged with attacking police and rioting.
If passed, the ban would likely be announced later in the afternoon and come into force at midnight, a government source told the
The expected ban comes after Hong Kong was rocked by the worst violence on the summer on Tuesday, the same day China celebrated 70 years of Communist Party rule.
Street battles raged for hours between riot police and hardcore protesters while a teenager, who was part of a group that attacked police with umbrellas and poles, was shot in the chest with a live
since the protests began.
Pro-establishment lawmakers and a prominent police officer association have ramped up their calls for the government to invoke the emergency laws, which were last used 52 years ago by the British during deadly leftist riots.
The law allows the city’s leader to make “any regulations whatsoever” in the event of an emergency or public danger without the need to go via’s the city’s parliament.
During the 1967 riots — a period where more than 50 people were killed in a year-long leftist bombing and murder spree — the British used the Emergency Ordinance to give police extra powers of arrest and rolled out widespread censorship of the press.
Government supporters say emergency powers are needed to combat the increased violence of hardcore protesters.
But critics have countered that bypassing the legislature and giving Lam the power to make any law would be a slippery slope
that owes its economic success to its reputation for rule of law and judicial independence.