Chaos continues in Hong Kong despite end of extradition bill
POLICE fired tear gas and modified shotgun rounds in Hong Kong last night as protests continued, despite a pledge by the authorities to drop a controversial planned extradition bill.
Protesters besieged a police station and a nearby underground station, demanding surveillance footage of a police raid last weekend amid rumours of a cover-up of the death of a protester.
Angry crowds surrounded the Prince Edward underground station in Kowloon, using wooden boards and umbrellas to form a barricade, and chanted: “Tell us the truth”.
Henry Ng, a 20-year-old university student, said: “We want to know whether police used excessive force.”
After police fired tear gas and “beanbag round” shotgun shells, protesters blocked the road by setting light to rubbish bins and stacks of cardboard.
It came despite an announcement by Carrie Lam, the head of the Hong Kong regional government, that she would drop the planned extradition bill that first set off the protests.
In a sign that events are now spinning out of Beijing’s control, the protesters have adopted a new slogan of “Five key demands, not one less”.
They want direct elections in the former British colony, an independent investigation into allegations of police brutality, the unconditional release of those detained, and authorities to stop describing the protests as riots.
The day started with a peaceful sit-in at Prince Edward station, and a larger rally in the city’s commercial district remained calm. Elderly and middleaged onlookers called out in support of the protesters and shouted warnings when riot police neared.
Ms Lam’s announcement that her government will withdraw the controversial bill to allow the extradition of fugitives to mainland China appeared to have done little to quell the anger.
“It doesn’t matter what the government or the police do, it can’t reduce the tensions. Hong Kong people will never forget what happened these past few months,” Jenny Liu, a 23-year-old university graduate, said.
Police have now arrested more than 1,000 protesters since June.
Yesterday on a visit to China, Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, called for a peaceful solution to the crisis.
“Every effort must be made to avoid violence,” Mrs Merkel told a joint press conference after talks with Li Keqiang, the Chinese premier, in Beijing. “The people of Hong Kong must be granted their rights and freedoms.”
Mr Li called for an end to “the violence and chaos”, and added that the world “needs to believe that the Chinese people have the ability and wisdom to handle their own matters well”.