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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 HK protests seethe for 10th week
Protesters react to tear gas as riot police try to disperse them during a protest at Sham Shui Po in Hong Kong yesterday. Photo: Reuters
WE’RE STILL HERE’:’ While police refused to issue permits for a rally in Victoria Park in Causeway Bay or Sham Shui Po, activists marched in both locations and other areas
/ AFP, HONG KONG
Thousands of pro-democracy protesters yesterday hit the streets of Hong Kong for a 10th weekend in a row, again defying police who fired volleys of tear gas at several locations.
The protests followed a night of “hit-and-run” rallies across the territory and came after Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam （林鄭月娥） on Saturday insisted she would not meet the demands of demonstrators.
Early yesterday afternoon, thousands of protesters met in Victoria Park in Causeway Bay, braving hot and humid conditions and a police ban on the gathering.
“The police should try their best to maintain public security instead of rejecting our request to march,” said a 25-year-old protester who gave only her family name, Wong.
“We’re still here... We won’t worry that much about illegal assembly. We still have our rights,” she said.
Police denied the protesters a permit for a second rally in the working-class Sham Shui Po neighborhood, but the pro-democracy advocates whose protests are now in their third month defied authorities in both locations, and staged additional actions in several other parts of the territory.
In Sham Shui Po, they used metal fencing and plastic ties to construct makeshift barricades and block the road near the local police station, shining blue lasers at the building as officers held up a flag warning the crowd to disperse.
A woman ran across the stretch of the neutral zone between the two sides, clutching an orange shopping bag as she tried to avoid the confrontation.
Shortly after, protesters threw bricks and police began firing tear gas. Tear gas was also deployed on both sides of Victoria Harbor — in the Tsim Sha Tsui area on the Kowloon side and in Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island.
Other demonstrators blocked roads in Wan Chai, where the police headquarters are located, and the Causeway Bay shopping district, chanting “Reclaim Hong Kong, revolution of our times.”
Elsewhere scuffles broke out between pro-Beijing residents and unidentified bystanders as well as media, with police intervening in some cases to pull people apart.
Yesterday’s protests came after a night of cat-and-mouse demonstrations around the territory, with protesters taking their mantra of flexible action — “Be water” — to new heights.
While riot police yesterday fired tear gas and arrested 16 people, the two sides avoided the lengthy pitched battles that have been seen in recent weeks.
“Our aim is no injuries, no bleeding and not getting arrested,” said a 17-year-old student protester who gave his family name as Chan.
“I think our previous tactics of staying in one place led to many arrests and injuries... We need to ‘be water’ to avoid injuries,” he said in Victoria Park.
Protesters were also on their third and final day of a sit-in at the Hong Kong International Airport that was billed as a way to explain their movement to sometimes bemused arriving visitors.
The demonstrations that began more than two months ago in opposition to a bill that would allow extraditions to mainland China have morphed into a broader bid to reverse a slide in democratic freedoms in the territory.
Protesters insist they have no plans to back down.
“There is no chance of retreating, and as a Hong Konger, this is the last hope we see of being able to achieve democracy,” said a 20-year-old protester who gave his last name as Lam.
“We still love Hong Kong and we think Hong Kong still has a chance of obtaining a democratic system,” he added.
Hannah Yu, an organizer, said the protest would provide a platform for people to rally peacefully.
In what has become an established pattern, groups of protesters have taken over streets or besieged government buildings after largely peaceful marches and rallies earlier in the day.
“There will still be citizens going out on the streets to protest, but we cannot control them and we do not have the authority to control them,” Yu said.
Many of the protesters wore masks to shield their identities, and a few had helmets. Others just carried backpacks over the black T-shirts that have become their uniform.
On Saturday, Lam addressed students at a Hong Kong army cadet camp and warned that the territory was “suffering from external worries and internal perils.”
“Every person who cherishes Hong Kong and loves peace should work hard together and safeguard our beautiful home,” she said.
Additional reporting by AP
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
Protesters take part in a demonstration in a park in Tsim Sha Tsui in Hong Kong yesterday. Photo: Reuters
A riot squad officer raises a warning flag as police try to disperse protesters by tear gas in Hong Kong’s Sham Shui Po area yesterday. Photo: Reuters
