Hong Kong protests keep the mighty dragon wide awake
IHAVE mentioned before that Hong Kong was a former British colony and that it was handed back to China in 1997. I was part of the coverage team tasked to record the event for ABS- CBN. There was no trace of apprehension as fireworks were witnessed by the HK citizens in a celebratory mood.
The agreement was the now famous “One Country, One System,” complete with ingredient, including a certain level of autonomy that has a distinct legal system separate from mainland China. It was also agreed upon that freedom of assembly and freedom of speech would be duly protected.
The problem started in April, when city leader Carrie Lam and
- tion to allow extradition of HK criminal suspects to mainland China. This was met with a series of protest rallies in various areas.
Lam offered to suspend the resolution, but it was quite late. The protesters continued with their demonstrations in a more vigorous way, marked by violence from both sides. Then the extradition bill was formally withdrawn last September.
I used to sympathize with pro- democracy protesters of HK, seeing them conduct rallies peacefully and even cleaning up their mess in the aftermath. They held their rallies during weekends in pinpointed areas like the Central District or Causeway Bay as an alternative.
But after almost four months, they have resorted to vandalizing public and private properties, disrupting airport traffic and mass transport system, throwing stones at authorities, setting fires and placing fellow civilians in harm’s way. By doing these, they are no different than their perceived oppressors. They are now hurting business opportunities big time. Defiance to relay messages is alright, but a sudden turn to destructive behavior and hooliganism lowers the brand of democracy that they are fighting for.
By this time, the demands and the protesters’ tactics have changed. More violent clashes erupted, with police using tear gas and rubber bullets in increasing frequency. Protesters demand for full democracy and stormed the parliament at one time, destroying some parts of the structure. Rallyists still fear that the extradition treaty could be revived at any given time.
Complications were added when a masked mob, rumored to be members of the Triad, mauled some protesters with clubs. One protester’s eye was injured that gave birth to demonstrators wearing eye patches. Then the “occupy” action of Hong Kong International Airport led to sev
This prompted Beijing to station police and military personnel in Shenzhen to deliver the message that they are ready to respond in any eventualities that may threaten mainland’s sovereignty. More demands were thrown like amnesty to jailed protesters, that protests should