My Take | Foreign media reports of protests give a distorted view of our free city

Days after police fired tear gas on protesters, many people overseas were expecting a Tiananmen-style crackdown. Indeed, if you have never visited Hong Kong, know little or nothing about us, and your only source of information is the foreign media, that is the mental picture you are being shown. War-like photos of large crowds being dispersed by rounds of tear gas evoke powerful emotions.

To say most of the foreign reports have been superficial and sensationalist is to state the obvious. From those reports, you would naturally conclude police actions against the protesters would only escalate, with the distinct possibility of PLA soldiers stepping in, leading to a bloody ending. It does not help that many pan-democrats are more than happy to make alarmist statements to the foreign press to grab the headlines. I have not read a single foreign report that predicted or explained what followed next: police essentially withdrew from the streets and let the occupiers take over. Yet, that is what you would expect from our police, and weak and unpopular government.

Ever since, the protesters have stayed where they are, blocking key transport arteries and bringing traffic to a standstill. Yet, people complain, adjust and carry on while accommodating the protesters. Despite the protesters' demand for "real" democracy, what people overseas don't often appreciate is this: Hong Kong is already one of the freest places on earth. Few major cities in the world would allow such "occupation" of key traffic routes. But in Hong Kong, the more demanding and vocal you are, the more you can insist on your way even if it means interfering with the rights of others less noisy than you. Whether you are New Territories villagers or student protesters, the government is scared of you if you become confrontational enough.

Though our so-called executive-led government is not democratic, we have a permanent and impeccable opposition in the legislature because it does not expect to be in power. Yet it is large enough to bring legislative work to a standstill.

We are not apologists when we say our police are far less brutal than their Western, democratic counterparts. We are merely explaining the political context in which our officers must take a more hands-off approach.