‘Triad gang’ attacks Hong Kong protesters
At least 45 people are hurt after coordinated assault by white-shirted thugs on pro-democracy marchers
‘Is Hong Kong now allowing triads to do what they want, beating up people on the street with weapons?’
PETRIFIED screams fill a metro carriage as people scramble from stickwielding thugs; a pregnant woman lies motionless after repeated blows; a young man pleads for mercy on his knees, only to be smacked in the face.
In the age of live-streaming, Hong Kong residents yesterday woke up to the sickening horror of a vicious assault on pro-democracy protesters and innocent bystanders by suspected triad gangsters in Hong Kong’s Yuen Long district.
Pictures of bloodied faces, gashed heads and bruised limbs overwhelmed social media channels after Sunday night’s attack, which left 45 wounded and one in a critical condition. Panicfilled cries, captured in footage of hordes of white-shirted men terrorising passengers with sticks and poles, struck deep in a city already reeling from a profound political crisis.
The seemingly coordinated assault, on protesters returning from a huge pro-democracy march, marked a dramatic escalation in the turmoil that has plagued the financial hub for six weeks.
What began as demonstrations against a contested extradition bill has now widened into a rallying cry for democracy, igniting an outpouring of anger over Chinese rule and shrinking freedoms. Now, the brutal scenes at the train station in the New Territories, close to the Chinese mainland, have raised concerns that the city’s feared pro-beijing triad gangs are wading into the political conflict.
Yesterday, footage of the violence on public train televisions mesmerised passengers heading out to the suburb of Yuen Long, where criminal gangs and staunchly pro-beijing rural committees remain influential. The blood had been washed from the station tiles and replaced with a strong stench of disinfectant, but the shocking incident has ramped up pressure on the city’s beleaguered police force. Officers have been accused of taking more than an hour to reach the site and failing to arrest the armed assailants who stayed in the streets around the station into yesterday morning.
Lam Cheuk-ting, a legislator who was admitted to hospital after the incident, accused the police of failing to protect the public. “Is Hong Kong now allowing triads to do what they want, beating up people on the street with weapons?” he asked reporters.
On the walls of the Yuen Long police headquarters, critics had slapped posters accusing police of working with triads. Inside, Enzo Tang, a young father and construction worker, screamed at officers over their inaction. He told The Daily Telegraph that he had been attacked for no reason as he returned home, revealing a spreading bruise on his elbow, and a video of the man who allegedly struck him. His phone record showed he had tried to call the police eight times, but he claimed he had been constantly disconnected.
Officers said it was “not an appropriate time to comment” on what had happened, and Telegraph enquiries as to whether the gangs were linked to triads or if arrests had been made went unanswered.
However, in an afternoon press conference, Stephen Lo, the commissioner of police, strongly rejected allegations of collusion between his officers and triads. He blamed the delay in reaction on the lack of manpower, as many officers had been deployed to Hong Kong Island to deal with Sunday’s protests.
The Yuen Long violence overshadowed reports of clashes between demonstrators and riot police last night after thousands broke away from a huge anti-government march to besiege the office of Beijing’s representative in the city.
Protesters who defaced the walls were pushed back by riot police firing tear gas and rubber bullets. In an ominous sign of Beijing losing patience, Chinese state media called the move a “blatant challenge to the central government” that would not be tolerated.