Second Hong Kong customs officer arrested over protest-related offence, bringing tally of disciplinary services staff detained amid unrest to four
- Analyst says young ages of suspects shows a generational gap in political views between younger and older civil servants
- Two others detained were immigration workers in separate incidents
A Hong Kong customs officer was arrested for unlawful assembly in an anti-government protest, bringing the total number of disciplinary services staff detained over the ongoing civil unrest in the city to four, the Post has learned.
According to updated police figures obtained, the force fired a total of 3,035 rounds of tear gas during dispersal operations between June 9 and August 31 – an average of 36 a day. Officers also fired 558 rubber bullets, 49 beanbag rounds and 277 sponge-tipped rounds in this period.
Second Immigration Department employee arrested in protest crisis
The arrested customs officer, surnamed Lam, 25, was among two men and one woman detained by riot police outside Harbourview Horizon on Hung Lok Road, Hung Hom at about 11pm last Friday.
Police were called in at about 8.30pm that night as a group of black-clad protesters had gathered on the nearby street where an officer was holding a wedding banquet inside the complex.
The force launched a clearance operation at about 11pm as protesters ignored repeated police warnings and refused to leave.
The three suspects were arrested over unlawful assembly in the operation. They were released on bail pending further investigation.
On Wednesday, the Customs and Excise Department did not comment on the arrest.
“Staff guidelines are established to regulate moral and disciplinary matters, and strict requirements for officers’ conduct and integrity are also set,” a spokesman for the department said.
“Follow-up action will be taken in a serious manner if there is any violation of the law and regulation.”
The Post was told Lam was the second customs officer arrested for a protest-related offence over the past three months.
Last month, two immigration workers were also suspended from duty after they were separately arrested for protest-related offences.
One of them is a female senior immigration assistant who was among 63 people arrested at Prince Edward and Yau Ma Tei MTR stations on August 31. She was held over unlawful assembly.
The other immigration worker, aged 23, was arrested on August 25 over the possession of offensive weapons.
None of the three earlier suspects from the disciplinary services have been charged in court.
Chaos on MTR network as police chase protesters into station and arrest 63
Political commentator Ivan Choy Chi-keung said the relative young ages of the arrested disciplinary officers showed a generational difference within the civil service.
He said the younger generation was raised in a time when civic education was more robust, so they were more adherent to the ideals of freedom and being vocal about political views, compared to the older generation, who were widely considered to be more conservative.
The trend, Choy added, was already reflected in a civil servants’ rally last month with an estimated turnout of 40,000, organised by two young labour and transport officers.
“It will pose a challenge for management in the government,” Choy said. “But has it come to the point where it can no longer be managed? That’s yet to be seen,” he said.
As of Monday, police have arrested 1,459 people – 1,176 men and 283 women – aged between 12 and 83 over various offences during marches, rallies, demonstrations and clashes between protesters and police, since the civil unrest sparked by the now to-be-withdrawn extradition bill began in June.
A total of 201 suspects from this group had gone through or were undergoing judiciary proceedings, police said.
