Hong Kong university siege: two men trapped on campus for more than a week slam police for ‘depriving them of right to vote’
- The pair, who have been on campus for eight days, urge police to stop ‘illegal detention’ immediately, calling situation ‘an international humanitarian crisis’
- An estimated 30 people remain on campus with police saying all those over the age of 18 will face arrest on rioting charges when they leave
Two men inside a Hong Kong university besieged by police after intense clashes have lashed out at the force, accusing it of depriving them of their right to vote in the city’s district council elections.
The duo urged police to end their siege and for Polytechnic University to take more steps to help the estimated 30 people still remaining on campus, many of whom they said were showing mental health problems and an inability to speak.
At least five left the campus on Sunday and into the early hours of Monday. Some of those still inside had reportedly resorted to self-harm.
“They are starting to feel reluctant to see others,” a 20-year-old in a mask who identified himself as Ah Cheung said, confirming previous accounts by legislators, lawyers and social workers.
“Despite their poor health, they refuse to eat. Sometimes, they can’t even say a complete sentence.”
Cheung has not left the campus since November 17, the day police surrounded the institution and barred any frontline radicals from leaving after one of the most intense and fiery battles in more than five months of anti-government protests in Hong Kong.
