Pier vigil comes to dramatic end
Una So
Thursday, August 02, 2007
The stalemate at Queen's Pier, which at one stage threated to turn ugly, ended late last night as the final group of seven protesters, along with a newspaper photographer, voluntarily vacated the roof they had been occupying.
Hours earlier, around 11am, police officers cleared the protesters at ground level, cutting the chains by which they were bound to each other, and carrying them out one at a time. The protesters offered no resistance.
Development Bureau chief Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said the eviction was carried out in peaceful manner and was done for the good of Hong Kong. However, one protester who tried to return to the pier suffered a possible broken rib in a scuffle with police, while one of three hunger strikers said he and a woman striker suffered arm injuries during the removal process.
Around 30 protesters were camping at the pier when more than 100 police officers marched onto the pier and set up metal barriers.
The protesters immediately chained their hands together and sat around the hunger strikers who had not eaten for more than five days.
Lawmaker "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung and activist Lam Fai chained their necks to a pole.
The protesters on the rooftop then began sounding off, singing social movement songs and chanting manifestos to the people gathered outside the barricade as the temperature soared to 34 degrees Celsius.
"Shame on the government for blockading Queen's Pier! We will stay here! No demolition and no goodbyes," shouted a
male protester.
male protester.
Around 12.35pm, police began to cut the chains as the protesters started screaming. But they offered no resistance and were carried from the pier.
They were released once they reached an area near where the demolished Star Ferry pier once stood.
The two male hunger strikers were carried out like the others and did not require medical attention but the woman, Karden Chan, was taken away in an ambulance.
Chu Hoi-dick, from Local Action, was the seventh person to be carried from the pier, hotly complaining the police were violating their human rights in refusing to let the protesters see their lawyers or lawmakers.
"They have not explained why they have blocked our lawyers from explaining the situation to us," Chu said. "They have trampled on Hong Kong people's human rights. I am very worried about the condition of my three hunger striking friends."
Two protesters who attempted to run back to the pier were arrested. One suffered a possible rib fracture in a scuffle and was sent to hospital.
One of the hunger strikers, Chan King-fai, said the eviction was violent and that he and Karden Chan had suffered arm injuries. The protester said he has lost hope in the government.
"More than 20 police against three people who have not eaten for five days. What kind of government is that?" he asked. "The first time the government engage the people, it was repeating the same recorded statement; now this time hundreds of police were here to implement that engagement. This is what they mean by engaging the public."
Chan said the trio would now end their hunger strike and plan new strategies.
In an afternoon press conference, Lam praised the police for their handling of the eviction and also said she was glad the protesters did not fight back.
"To the three young people who were on hunger strike, I wish them all the best and hope they will take care of their health," she said. "I look forward to having discussions with them and engaging them in a public debate about heritage matters in the future."
Lam stressed the urgency of handing over the pier to the contractor in order to minimize possible claims and further disruption to the Central Reclamation Phase Three.
The handover date was delayed for five months due to protesters occupying the pier. The pier is to be dismantled to make way for a four-lane highway.
The High Court has granted leave for a judicial review of the former Home Affairs chief's decision not to declare Queen's Pier an historical monument even though it was given a Grade I rating. The hearing will be held on Tuesday.
Lam said the government had done its utmost in holding consultations over several months and she pledged to deliver the chief executive's campaign promise on heritage, though she admitted this would not be an easy task. Balancing development with heritage preservation required concerted effort with trust and understanding, she said.
Before the rooftop protesters came down, they were approached several times by negotiators speaking from the tower ladders of fire trucks.
One protester, Au-yeung Tung, then started scattering feathers from a pillow.
Later, several policemen took to the roof, tightening the perimeters around the protesters, while workmen cut the ropes holding the SOS sign that had been flashing on the roof for several nights.
After a standoff of nearly an hour, the last protester was grabbed and carried away.
Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor director Law Yuk-kai was furious his observers were barred from entering the area during the eviction, pointing out that even during the 2005 WTO Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong no such action was taken.
Law said it was the right of observers to be present in a situation where human rights violation could occur. He maintained that on this occasion the police had exceeded their powers.
"What the police did was not above board. This public matter needed to be seen. Justice must not only be done, but must be seen to be done," Law said.
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=50389&sid=14754470&con_type=3&d_str=20070802&sear_year=2007
