HK violence comes in for flak

Parties, medical professionals call for peace, help in restoring law and order

The riotous protesters have drawn widespread condemnation, including from the political parties, in Hong Kong following the weekend turmoil that saw incidents of violence and arson.

About 600 medical professionals, in a jointly signed letter in some local newspapers on Monday, called on the medical sector and the people of Hong Kong to save the city from the "critical illness" of chaos and violence, and help the police force in restoring law and order.

They refused to be misrepresented after some doctors and nurses urged the government to concede to some of the demands of the radicals, including a blanket amnesty for those arrested in connection with the monthslong unrest. They said the police force has been demonized amid the escalating violence.

Stressing that the society should not tolerate any violent acts that disrupt law and order, the New People's Party on Sunday called on the authorities to introduce an anti-mask legislation at the earliest to contain the unrest.

The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, the city's largest political party in the legislature, said in a statement on Sunday night that it urges all residents to immediately draw a clear line against violence and to not tolerate such extremely violent acts.

To break the current political impasse, the party hopes the people of Hong Kong can join the government's efforts in solving the city's deep-rooted problems through dialogue.

The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, the city's largest labor group, deplored the rioters' outrageous acts that have defied law and spread hatred among society. It appealed to all the sectors to unite and bring order and peace in Hong Kong soon.

On Sunday afternoon, an illegal assembly turned violent, with radical protesters attacking police officers with gasoline bombs and other weapons, setting fires at multiple locations, and attacking residents and reporters.

At least three residents were assaulted by radicals for voicing different opinions, Tse Chun-chung, chief superintendent of the Hong Kong police's public relations branch, told a news conference on Monday.

The radicals have been increasingly resorting to violence in the weekend protests, Tse said.

A total of 89 people were arrested from Friday to Sunday, taking the overall arrests to 1,453 since the unrest began in June, according to the police.

Unlike the usual tidiness and orderliness, the city's Admiralty and Wan Chai were in a state of disarray on Monday morning after mobs went on the rampage on Sunday.

Glass facades of an elevator were shattered, water barricades set on fire, bus stop signboards tossed around randomly and bricks plucked out from pavements lay scattered on the sidewalks. Trash bins were emptied and waste was strewn all around.

The city's subway operator MTR strongly condemned the malicious acts in a statement issued on Sunday night after some mobs wreaked havoc at a number of MTR stations, with the Admiralty, Wan Chai and Causeway Bay stations suffering the most.

The recurrence of violence and vandalism at the MTR stations not only affected passengers' commutes, but also endangered the safety of passengers and the MTR staff, the statement read.