Photo: Chen Qingqing/GT

Photo: Chen Qingqing/GT

 
 
Hong Kong police on Saturday and Sunday arrested 157 people, allegedly involved in illegal gatherings, attacking police officers and hiding dangerous objects, and the escalating violence has been sharing more similarities with terrorism, leading the city to a very dangerous situation, police representatives said on Monday. 

The Hong Kong Police Force has received information about hardcore radicals who have planned another rampage across the city for Tuesday, including planned attacks on and the killing of police officers, hiring rioters with suicide tendencies and setting fire in more public places such as MTR stations and shopping malls, Tse Chun-chung, chief superintendent of Police Public Relations Branch, told a press briefing on Monday. 

Civil Human Rights Front, a major opposition force in Hong Kong, received a letter of objection on Monday concerning a planned march from Victoria Park to Chater Road in Central on Tuesday (October 1), which marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of People’s Republic of China. 
“After we had assessed risks, we rejected a march planned for Tuesday due to safety reasons,” said Liauw Ka-kei, assistant district commander (operations) of the Central District. 

The police sends a letter of objection to each protest request in a very cautious way, and the opposition to tomorrow’s march did not specifically target any person or group, but was out of consideration of the overall situation, Liauw said. 

Black-clad protesters set fire across Hong Kong Sunday, following an illegal gathering from Causeway Bay to Admiralty. Radical protesters hurled 100 Molotov cocktails during the weekend protests at not only police officers but also ordinary citizens, showing they did not care about other people’s safety, police said. 

Radicals were also seen carrying gasoline cans during the weekend’s rampage. “Over the past three months, the violence has not stopped,” Tse said, noting that it was one step closer to terrorism. 

“From Saturday to Sunday, Hong Kong police arrested 157 people suspected of being involved in unlawful gatherings, possessing dangerous articles and attacking police officers, and 67 of them are students,” said Kong Wing-cheung, senior superintendent (Media Liaison and Communication) of Police Public Relations Branch. 

Meanwhile, eight suspects are from 12 to 15 years old, he said. He urged young people, regardless of their grievances, to stop now and reflect on their illegal behavior.