HONG KONGERS continue to defy Monday China’s interference into the political affairs of the former British colony.
Tens of thousands of people flooded Hong Kong’s business hub and streets and ignoring calls by the police and politicians to disperse. China and Hong Kong officials insisted the assembly was illegal.
Thousands of anti-riot policemen were deployed around Hong Kong’s main business district as China wanted to take control of the political power there. The protesters, mostly students and young Hong Kongers, were demanding for democratic elections in 2017 without Beijing’s interference.
The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan Hong Kong and Macau also expressed its solidarity to the people of Hong Kong. “We sympathize with the Hong Kong people who in their desire to effect change and reforms are met with brutality and excessive use of force by the Hong Kong police,” it said.
It said protesters on various thoroughfares were repeatedly pepper sprayed and canisters of tear gas were fired at them.
“However, undaunted, the public who witnessed the brutality of the police’s actions against the protesters even came out to join the action. As a people, Filipinos feel for those in Hong Kong who were at the receiving end of the brutality of the government and the police. We also suffered and we continue to suffer from repression when we call for change and for the people’s democratic rights.”
“The display of discontent by the Hong Kong people and demand for political changes are rooted in the worsening economic condition that includes rising inflation, constricting social services, austerity, privatization and prioritization by the government of big business interests over that of the working people,” the group said.
It also called on Hong Kong government to immediately cease from its repressive actions against the legitimate expression of the protester’s demands.
The Asian Migrants Coordinating Body has condemned the crackdown of the police on the protesters which it said were just calling for full universal suffrage in choosing Hong Kong’s Chief Executive.
“The movement for universal suffrage has been gaining steam for the past years and is further being propelled by the government’s lack of effective response to the problems besetting many of the Hong Kong people. Cuts in social service, disregard of the condition of workers, and the prioritization of the government of the interests of businesses especially in times of crisis have contributed greatly to the desire of the Hong Kong people to have a more direct say in the election of the Chief Executive,” it said.
“The right of the people to assemble and protest is being wantonly violated; and activists for democratic rights cannot stand by and watch how the fascism of the Hong Kong government unfolds. We are one with the people of Hong Kong in the call to stop the repression against their democratic rights. We call for the immediate release of the arrested protesters. We call for the Hong Kong government to respect the people’s rights,” it added.
Pro-democracy leaders demanded for the resignation of Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying.
Surprisingly, the Hong Kong-based Asia Human Rights Commission has not released any statement about the unrest, but only put up a link for Apple Daily’s live coverage of the demonstrations.
Its website http://www.humanrights.asia is now down, a day after it posted the link and it was unknown if the site had been shut down or not. But the Apple Daily continues to show live broadcast of the people power on its website.
Britain handed over Hong Kong to China in June 1997 ending a 99 year lease of the territory. Hong Kong was acquired from three separate treaties – the Treaty of Nanking in 1842, the Treaty of Beijing in 1860, and The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory in 1898. (Mindanao Examiner)
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