Student death fuels unrest in HK
Thousands of Hong Kongers hold vigils for Chow, first student fatality since outrage
Hong Kong, Nov. 8: A student at a Hong Kong university who fell one floor in a parking lot during pro-democracy protests at the weekend died on Friday, the first student death in months of demonstrations in the Chineseruled city and a likely trigger for fresh unrest.
Chow Tsz-lok, 22, an undergraduate at the University of Science and Technology, died of injuries he suffered, when he fell from the third to the second floor of a parking lot during a police dispersal operation.
Chow’s death, on graduation day for many students, is expected to fuel anger at police, who are already under pressure amid accusations of excessive force as the city grapples with its worst political crisis in decades.
The university students trashed a campus branch of Starbucks, part of a franchise perceived to be pro-Beijing, and rallies are expected across the territory, when violence traditionally picks up.
“Condemn police brutality,” they wrote on the restaurant’s glass wall.
Demonstraters had thronged the hospital this week to pray for Chow, leaving flowers and hundreds of get-well messages on walls. Students also staged rallies at universities across the former British colony.
“He was a nice person. He was sporty. He liked playing netball and basketball,” friend and fellow UST student Ben, 25, said in tears. “We played netball together for a year. I hope he can rest in peace. I really miss him.”
Students and young people have been at the forefront of the hundreds of thousands who have taken to the streets since June to press for greater democracy, among other demands, and rally against perceived Chinese meddling in the Asian financial hub.
The protests, ignited by a now-scrapped extradition bill allowing people to be sent to mainland China for trial, have evolved into wider calls for democracy, posing one of the biggest challenges for Chinese President Xi Jinping since he took charge in 2012.
Two pro-Beijing newspapers ran full-page ads, commissioned by “a group of Hong Kong people,” calling for a postponement of the lowest-tier district council elections set for Nov. 24, a move which would infuriate those calling for democracy.
Protesters have thrown petrol bombs and vandalised banks, stores and metro stations, while police have fired rubber bullets, tear gas, water cannons and, in some cases, live ammunition in scenes of chaos.
Chow had been pursuing a two-year undergraduate degree in computer science. His death came on graduation day for many students at his university, located in the picturesque Clear Water Bay district on the Kowloon side of the harbour.
The university called for an independent investigation. The government expressed “great sorrow and regret”.
Students have been at the forefront of the lakhs who have taken to streets to press for greater democracy, among other demands, and rally against perceived Chinese meddling in the Asian financial hub