Two police officers hit with white powder by protesters were not in pain when they sought treatment, a court heard yesterday.
Dr Lam Hon-sin, who had attended to the officers, told Eastern Court that constables Yu Tik-fung and Yeung Hin-sing did not tell him their eyes hurt or were itchy when he saw them. Both officers were dusted with the powder, later found to be cornflour that demonstrators had thrown at Beijing's liaison office in the city last December.
Lam said he had provided Yu and Yeung with bottles of saline solution and helped them wash their eyes. 'They could have washed their eyes by themselves, so basically they did not need any treatment,' Lam said.
Lam did not note any symptoms, such as pain or itching, after examining the officers, medical records showed. His testimony contradicted that of the officers, who told the court on Monday that they had told Lam that the powder had caused pain and itchiness to their eyes.
Yu said the pain had lingered for three to four hours after Lam had washed her eyes. Lam said, however, that he had found no powder in the officers' eyes, and wrote in his report that their eyes were neither red nor inflamed.
Eastern Court is hearing disorderly conduct charges against two League of Social Democrats demonstrators, Chiu Hin-chung and Keung Ling-cheung, both 26. Their protest at the liaison office urged Beijing to free imprisoned mainland tainted-milk activist Zhao Lianhai .