Grenville Cross says police need greater resources and manpower, to effectively restore law and order
Once again, the armed mobs have descended on Hong Kong, bent on wanton violence and destruction. Disregarding public safety and the law, they have created mayhem everywhere they go. Dressed in black and masked, these sinister, hate-filled thugs are out to destroy Hong Kong and its traditional values, hoping also to damage China in the process.
Not content with vandalising HKUST over the weekend, where they terrorised staff and students alike, and damaged businesses belonging to people of whom they disapproved, these people are addicted to violence and enjoy intimidation. Their biggest thrill, however, lies in defying the law, and acting as if they are beyond its reach, which, unfortunately, they sometimes are.
Completely alien to decency or the liberal traditions that have not only made Hong Kong great but also turned its universities into such highly regarded institutions, they sank to a new low when they even disrupted the Remembrance Day ceremony in Central, designed to honor those who fell in war.
Wherever they have ventured, horror has followed closely behind them. A train has been torched, passengers have been endangered by objects thrown on railway lines, and MTR stations have been vandalised. Yet again, our brave police officers have been attacked with petrol bombs, but this has not deterred them from trying to uphold law and order, and combat heinous crimes.
The violence erupted after a student died on Friday, following a fall from a balcony in a car park, in circumstances that are unclear. Although the coroner’s court will ascertain the cause of death in due course, the mobs have eagerly blamed the police, believing they may finally have found the martyr they have been searching for since June.
Although they once thought that a woman whose eye was injured was martyrdom material, they quickly changed their minds once it emerged her injury was not as serious as thought, and might even have been caused by the protesters themselves. They then switched their search to a student whose body was found floating in the sea, blaming the police for her death, although this again fell flat once the deceased’s mother announced that she was suicidal.
Although the results of the coroner’s inquiry cannot be predicted, current indications are that the man’s death was a tragic accident. However, desperate for an excuse to continue their war on society, the fanatics have again ignored judicial process, and are now milking the tragedy for all it is worth. By the time the coroner finally reports, they will have lost all interest in the case.
According to reports, heavy objects have been dropped on roads, endangering the safety of drivers. Attacks on civilians have been video-recorded, and people are staying at home where possible out of fear. A man, moreover, who reportedly remonstrated with rioters in Ma On Shan, as they set about destroying the railway station, was not only beaten up, but also, in an act of breathtaking horror, set on fire, sustaining severe burns. Anyone responsible for such savagery to a fellow Chinese has forfeited any right to be called a Hong Konger, and must be prosecuted for attempted murder and locked up for life, unless, of course, his fellow thugs cover up for him.
In Sai Wan Ho, moreover, following a fracas involving a traffic policeman and several blackshirted individuals, a man was shot. The police have now confirmed that the officer was surrounded and was afraid his revolver would be snatched, and had no bad intentions. This, however, has not prevented his children receiving death threats, a truly horrifying development that speaks volumes about the mindset of the people now waging war on society.
Although the shooting is, of course, regrettable, everyone can be grateful that only three rioters have been shot in the entire five months since the violence began, none fatally. This is testament to the huge restraint of the police, who have regularly confronted not only great provocation but also armed attacks. By contrast, in Santiago, Chile, for example, 19 people were killed by police in the first few days of the recent violent protests.
Although the police are valiantly trying to uphold law and order, and are seeking to contain the unauthorised processions in Central and elsewhere, they clearly need greater resources, as well as more manpower. The incoming police commissioner must make this his first priority. The British police force, for example, as a result of ongoing attacks on its officers, is now being urgently equipped with tasers (stun guns), which can be highly effective in riot situations, and this must now be considered here.
There can be no doubt, moreover, that the mobs are subversive in nature, and are using violence as a means of confronting not only the local government, but also the central authorities, whom they wish to intimidate.
Equally, many of those involved are separatists, hoping by force to divide Hong Kong from the rest of China. This explains their regular use of slogans such as “Hong Kong is not China” and “Liberate Hong Kong”, as well as their repeated desecrations of the national flag and their attacks on mainland property, students, officials and otherwise.
Hong Kong, of course, is required by the Basic Law’s Article 23 to enact subversion and sedition laws, yet it still has not done so, 22 years after reunification. By contrast, Macao enacted its own national security law within 10 years of its own reunification. These laws are manifestly needed now to counter the insurgency, and, if Hong Kong cannot discharge its responsibilities, Beijing may simply have no option but to extend its own national security law to Hong Kong. This it can do by including it in the Basic Law’s Annex III, together with the other national laws that already apply here.
It is still not too late to save Hong Kong, or to combat the insurgency. However, prosecutors need stronger laws, while police need increased resources. What Hong Kong now desperately needs is a firm government prepared to do whatever it takes to restore law and order, not concessions, inquiries or talkfests.
(HK Edition 11/12/2019 page8)