Hong Kong police: doxxed, ambushed, yet still resolute
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E-mail Xinhua, September 5, 2019
Being ambushed
Ah Kit faced far more dangerous situations during his frontline law-enforcing operations in his fourth year as a policeman.
The 23-year-old constable from the police tactical unit tried hard to remain calm when he recalled a late night duty call that turned out to be an ambush. On Aug. 25, radical demonstrators illegally besieged the Kwai Chung police station in the New Territories.
Inside the police station, a telephone call came in to report that "a citizen" had been beaten by a number of violent demonstrators and needed help. Ah Kit's police squad was dispatched to mount a rescue operation.
The moment the officers stepped out, they were attacked by a large number of rioters with iron rods, corrosive liquids and bricks, objects that have been frequently used by rioters to attack police officers.
Caught off guard, Ah Kit and another colleague found themselves separated from eight other officers and greatly outnumbered by rioters. They were robbed of their helmets, beaten and kicked. They wielded their batons to defend themselves and retreated.
During the process, a "reporter" clad in a yellow vest offered to take Ah Kit and his colleague to where the so-called attack took place. They followed him around but found no trace of any attack that had taken place.
When they arrived at the Kwai Fong MTR station, officers were told by a local resident that the man in the yellow vest was a fake journalist. As they retreated to the Kwai Fong bus station, they met another squad which had also been dispatched over a fake call for help.
Together, they continued searching, but a mob began to attack their vehicle, smashing the car windows and assaulting the driver, who suffered serious stab wounds in the back.
Ah Kit and his colleagues escorted the injured officer for treatment. He had been pelted with eggs, his arms and feet injured by broken glass and corrosive liquids.
"A lot of the rioters were my age, but the bottom line is very clear -- if they break the law, whoever they are, I will arrest them, even if they are my friends," he said.
"I don't regret it because I'm a cop," he said. "It's my job to crack down on violence and protect the people. It's the right thing to do, and I will stick to it."
The public has expressed strong discontent over the rampant violence, said officer Chan who is in charge of community relations in Sham Shui Po District.
After some applied a demonstration in Sham Shui Po on Aug. 11, the police district received more than 600 letters in the name of institutions demanding a letter of objection.
"I believe the mainstream opinion in the community is to uphold law and order," Chan said, adding that he understands the silence of many members of the public for fear of revenge.
"But that doesn't mean they're endorsing violence," he said.
People also provided information to police about parking lots and warehouses used by rioters to allow the police to raid beforehand, Chan said.
Since Aug. 5, the district has suffered ten attacks by rioters. Radical demonstrators often assembled illegally in the neighborhoods and shouted slogans late at night.
"Many residents were unable to sleep well at night. Many stores in the district saw their sales plunge about 50 percent over the past two months," said Chan.
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