‘An inquiry into the Mong Kok riot would only create a new battleground’: former Central Policy Unit chief compares Star Ferry and Hong Kong riots
Ex-Central Policy Unit head Lau Siu-kai describes government as wary of fuelling social conflicts, but professor contends term ‘riot’ is too much
The Hong Kong government rejected a call for an independent inquiry into the Mong Kok riot because it was worried the process could open a Pandora’s box and fuel conflicts in society, a former top government adviser stated yesterday.
Lau Siu-kai, former head of the Central Policy Unit, said the Leung Chun-ying administration was in a weak position and might not be able to manage the situation were an inquiry into the mayhem launched.
His remarks came as Professor Stephen Chiu Wing-kai, Chinese University of Hong Kong sociologist, said the government was trying to influence public perception by using the label “riot” to describe the unrest that erupted on the night of February 8. He claimed the violence was not as serious as the riots of 1966 and 1967.
READ MORE: Former Hong Kong security chief condemns young ‘beasts’ of Mong Kok riot as losing ‘their sense of reason’
In the wake of the Star Ferry riots in 1966, the colonial government appointed a commission of inquiry, chaired by then chief justice Michael Hogan, to look into the causes of the disturbances.
The disturbance was triggered by a fare rise of five cents for the boat ride between Central and Tsim Sha Tsui.
During that mayhem spanning April 5 to April 9, 1966, mobs threw stones at riot police, looted shops and set fire to buses and various public facilities, including fire stations.
A total of 1,465 persons was arrested, 905 of whom were charged with breach of curfew and other offences.
The commission, which described the unrest as the “Kowloon disturbances” in its report released in 1967, suggested that the evidence relating to the outbreak of disturbances indicated a gap in perceptions between the government and the people.