Hong Kong police dismiss online rumours of immediate mass arrests of protesters at this weekend’s anti-government rallies
- Senior officers deny internet speculation that police will arrest protesters and charge them with rioting
- But the Post has learned of a police plan to mobilise more than 3,000 officers for security at a rally in Victoria Park on Sunday
Hong Kong police on Friday brushed off online rumours that orders had come from “the highest level” to arrest protesters en masse this weekend without trying to disperse them.
Posts in online forums claimed the police would no longer try to break up crowds but instead arrest protesters right away and charge them with rioting, an offence that carries a maximum term of 10 years in jail.
But Jim Ng Lok-chun, the senior police superintendent in charge of operations on Hong Kong Island, said this was not the case.
We have always tried to assist people to express their views peacefully
“I could assure you that the information is not correct and the accusation is wrong. We have always tried to assist people to express their views peacefully,” Ng said at Friday’s daily press conference.
Ng said the bans were necessary because some protests had turned violent in recent weeks and the organisers could not guarantee public safety.
“These rallies often pass by some high-risk locations, such as police stations and government buildings. We have reasons to believe that these locations could easily become targets for radical protesters to attack,” Ng said.
Ng continued: “Every weekend, these large public events have turned into violence almost every time. I can tell you, the security risk level for this weekend is extremely high.”
The Post was told the police would mobilise more than 3,000 officers, mainly anti-riot squads, to strengthen security at an approved rally in Victoria Park on Sunday.
The police urged residents in North Point and Sai Wan Ho to take safety precautions in case officers fired tear gas to disperse rowdy protesters who were expected to ignore a ban to march from Causeway Bay to North Point.
Ng gave a resounding no when asked if the force planned to ban all similar rallies and was suppressing freedom of assembly. He pointed out that the police granted approval for rallies on a case-by-case basis.
“I can assure you that we do not have any political consideration when screening the applications. We look at factors such as location, nature and the number of participants,” Ng said.
“It would be irresponsible for us to approve all applications and leave the protesters to go wherever they want.”
He said the force had approved some 10 rallies this week, including a silent march by lawyers who intend to urge the justice minister to avoid political prosecution.
The police force badly needs extra hands to cope with an extremely heavy workload amid the protest crisis
Separately, Lau, the former deputy police commissioner who was reactivated, met on Friday with five regional commanders – each controlling 600 anti-riot officers who had been deployed since June to combat violent protests by using tear gas, rubber bullets and sponge-tipped rounds.
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Lau, 57, also held a meeting with all district commanders. Police stations across the city have become targets for protesters who hurled petrol bombs and bricks at the facilities and directed laser pointers at officers.
Lau is a respected veteran who oversaw operations during the 2014 Occupy protests and the 2016 Mong Kok riot.
He is known for a tough style of leadership and was also in charge of security when President Xi Jinping visited the city in 2017. Xi shook hands with Lau when the leader departed.
In September, the term for Commissioner of Police Stephen Lo Wai-chung was extended for 12 months. At that time, one-third of the police force’s senior management, including Lau, were within a year of retirement.
Tear gas exposure causing journalists breathing and skin problems
The extension was meant to smooth a transition to new management, with Chris Tang Ping-keung, who was then the senior assistant commissioner, replacing Lau.
Other sources speculated that Lau was brought out of retirement to take the heat off Tang, now the deputy commissioner, with the police force preparing to use tougher tactics against protesters.
Some said that since Tang was being groomed to head the force in November, any public backlash against the police for cracking down harder would be directed at Lau, who would eventually go back into retirement.
In this scenario, Tang would emerge relatively clean to one day take up the commissioner’s post, if the original succession plan was kept.
Another government source said Lau’s appointment had nothing to do with Tang’s expected promotion to commissioner.
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“The police force badly needs extra hands to cope with an extremely heavy workload amid the protest crisis,” the source said.
The source pointed to the need to draw up plans for tackling the expected protests on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China on October 1.
“Lau’s return doesn’t mean Tang would be sidelined,” the source said.
Additional reporting by Gary Cheung
