Firefighters called to Mong Kok after suspected arson attack at Occupy protest zone
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 22 October, 2014, 3:14pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 22 October, 2014, 11:14pm
Staff reporters
Scuffles break out between Occupy protesters and opponents in Mong Kok. Photo: Sam Tsang
During a heavy downpour in Mong Kok on Wednesday night, Maggie Chan Man-ki - district councillor and member of the pro-Beijing DAB party - visited Argyle Street as a representative of Chiu Luen Public Light Bus Company.
Chan read out a High Court injunction barring protesters from occupying the section of Argyle Street between Tung Choi Street and Portland Street.
She reminded protesters there that people who were occupying the area, or people attempting to obstruct the removal of barricades, at the intersection could be held in contempt of court.
Protesters take cover as a downpour hits Mong Kok. Photo: Dickson Lee
However, Chan could be barely heard in the rain and some protesters five metres away yelled out that they couldn't hear her. Chan left the scene soon after.
Earlier, protesters listening to a public forum in Mong Kok were hit with four bags of what was suspected to be a mixture of faeces and oil thrown from a nearby building. No arrests were made.
Several protesters and at least two young children were splashed with the brown substance. People Power member Tam Tak-chi said he was hosting the forum when the four bags landed in the area where listeners were seated.
“We received a warning that faeces bombs would be thrown on Monday but it didn’t happen. It finally happened tonight,” he said. “We seriously condemn this incident and want police to take enforcement action.”
Earlier on Wednesday evening, firefighters were called to Mong Kok after a middle-aged man with a bag full of flammable substances attempted to set fire to a supply station run by Occupy protesters.
The man, said to be in his forties and dressed in a red top and shorts, threw three glass jars of flammable liquid paint thinner at protesters standing near the supply station, witnesses said.
Police arrest the man over the suspected arson. Photo: Ernest Kao
He then tried to set the supplies ablaze with a lighter but failed. Protesters then apprehended the man until police arrived. One fire engine was dispatched.
“We surrounded him and grabbed the lighter from his hand,” said protester and witness Lam Shing-tong, who also got the fluid on his clothes.
“We kept shouting ‘Someone’s trying to start a fire!’ but police ignored us. They came after ten minutes. We could have all been set on fire.”
Lam said the man did not say anything before throwing the glass jars.
Another witness said the man had attempted to pull more bottles out from a brown leather backpack.
Scuffles break out between Occupy protesters and opponents in Mong Kok. Photo: Sam Tsang
“The suspect then mysteriously collapsed on the floor and was taken away in an ambulance,” said witness Wing Ngan. “I don’t understand why it took so long for police to react.”
Glass splinters were seen at the scene and a strong stench of paint thinner filled the air. The affected supplies were moved elsewhere for safety.
Earlier on on Wednesday, taxi drivers tore down barriers in Mong Kok but failed in an attempt to fully reopen Nathan Road to traffic after police intervened to bring their action to a halt.
Rubbish bins, fences, wooden pallets and bamboo poles were ripped up by members of the Taxi Drivers and Operators Association and loaded onto the back of a truck with a crane, as angry protesters rushed to stop the destruction at the Dundas Street end of Nathan Road.
A stand-off ensued as protesters defended their barricades by sitting on them or putting the arms over them to shield them. Scores of police carrying shields formed a line to separate the two groups as more obstacles were removed. Police urged both sides to stay calm and not to resort to violence.
"We have the ability to [remove all the barriers] but police said it would cause chaos," said Eddie Ng Yip-pui, director general of the Taxi Drivers and Operators Association, whose members arrived in Mong Kok with a bailiff's order to remove the barricades.
Ng said the drivers would not return on Wednesday night, "but we will ask the court to extend the injunction on Friday," he said.
He did not rule out a "bigger-scale" action, should the court order be granted.
Taxi drivers parked on Argyle Street. Photo: Felix Wong
Taxi drivers complained that the protests have affected their livelihoods. Photo: Felix Wong
Court injunctions were granted to the taxi drivers' group and a minibus operators' group seeking to disperse the Mong Kok protesters on Monday. Another injunction was granted to Goldon Investment, owner of Citic Tower in Admiralty near government headquarters, where protesters have been lining pavements and roads since September 27.
On Wednesday morning, a group of some 20 staff from the Citic Tower were thwarted by students in an attempt to remove barricades on Lung Wui Road.
The students ignored a warning that they were in contempt of court from a representative of Citic’s legal department and a plea to clear the barricades because they were blocking a fire escape route.
Barricades were torn down. Photo: Chris Lau
Protesters were powerless to stop some barriers being removed. Photo: Felix Wong
Meanwhile, more than 100 Occupy Central protesters marched from Admiralty to Government House on Wednesday afternoon over Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying’s remarks that free elections are unacceptable because poorer people would dominate the vote.
Protesters ignored police warnings that the march was unauthorised because it had not been registered.
The embattled chief executive reiterated his position that free elections were impossible in an interview with foreign media this week.
Leung said that if candidates were nominated by the public then the poor would likely dominate the electoral process.
“If it’s entirely a numbers game and numeric representation, then obviously you’d be talking to the half of the people in Hong Kong who earn less than US$1,800 a month [HK$13,964.2],” Leung said in comments published by the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times and the International New York Times.
In a statement, the Chief Executive’s Office said on Wednesday that Leung made the remarks in an earlier interview with overseas media, when asked about the meaning of "broad representativeness" in the election committee and the nominating committee.
The future nominating committee will comprise four major sectors to take into account the needs of all classes and sectors, not just the needs of the largest community, Leung said.
He confirmed that income disparity is a problem in Hong Kong. He also pointed out that poverty alleviation, care for the elderly, and housing are among the major policy areas of his administration and that the government attaches great importance to the livelihood of the grass roots, according to the statement
Marchers called for CY Leung to step down. Photo: Sam Tsang
A Facebook group called “Civil Servants Support Umbrella” on Wednesday announced the collection of more than 1,500 signatures from civil servants who support the protests.
The group was formed after the Government Employees Association and Hong Kong Civil Servants General Union released a joint statement on Monday to denounce the Occupy movement. The group said the viewpoint of these two unions did not represent them.
Civil servants who support Occupy have each uploaded a photo of their staff card which revealed their departments and job titles but concealed their name and staff number. From the photos, backing for the protests seems to come from almost all government departments – including from the police. One picture showed the staff card of a police commissioner, who expressed support towards the movement.
CY Leung reiterated his position that free elections were impossible in an interview with foreign media this week. Photo: Sam Tsang
Several university presidents hope there will be more talks between students and the government after the first round of dialogue on Tuesday.
Leonard Cheng Kwok-hon, president of Lingnan University and Tuesday's student-government meeting's moderator, said there is a higher possibility to solve the current stand-off between students and the government if there are more rounds of dialogue.
"I think the students performed very well yesterday," said Cheng. "They expressed themselves very clearly and they were very civilised."
Some people have criticised Cheng for being biased towards the government but he said he had no “malicious intention" and his purpose in asking questions was to let the students have an opportunity to explain their demands.
Peter Mathieson, vice-chancellor of the University of Hong Kong, said more clarification was needed to clear the "misunderstandings" between the two sides.
"I think repeating what's been said before sometimes doesn't always help, but if it can be clarified or explained in a different way [it can help]," Mathieson said.
"I know the government had major constraints on what it can and can't do, so both parties need to understand what's possible and what's realistic, not necessarily what would be ideal."
Chinese University president Joseph Sung Jao-yiu and president of the University of Science and Technology Tony Chan Fan-cheong also expressed similar ideas of hoping more conversations to come.
Elsewhere, Police arrested a 20-year-old man this morning in Wan Chai for criminally intimidating a police officer's daughter.
Chief superintendent Steve Hui Chun-tak, of the Police Public Relations Branch, said the man is being detained pending further investigation.
"This man sent threatening message to an officer's daughter. This is a very serious offence. We will seriously look into the case," he told reporters in the daily press briefing.
He also said some had uploaded the personal information of police officers and families on the internet, where they were made targets of personal attack on social media.
"Some people even called on others to bully our officers' children at school ... The police condemn this cyberbullying act," he said, adding that laws in the real world are applicable to the internet as he called for an end to the harassment.
Hui also noted someone had incited others to occupy the airport.
"They attempt to create chaos. Such behaviour is extremely irresponsible and must be strongly condemned," he said.
He said the Hong Kong International Airport is a critical infrastructure and anyone who disrupts public order or behave improperly could be arrested.
Chris Lau, Alan Yu, Shirley Zhao, Emily Tsang, KC Ng, Timmy Sung
