Yuen Long residents seek police help

Shocked by indiscriminate attacks on rail passengers by masked men in white shirts at the Yuen Long MTR station on Sunday night, residents of the New Territories, one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, petitioned the police seeking an increase in manpower to prevent recurrence of such incidents.

At least 45 people, mostly rail passengers, were injured, in Sunday's attack. Condemned by the government, the police and civic leaders, the incident raised concerns about public safety, especially in Yuen Long and other towns along the MTR line.

The Hong Kong police told China Daily they were currently processing an application seeking permission for holding a public event in Yuen Long on Saturday.

Meanwhile, MTR, the city's rail operator, is taking no chances. Adi Lau Tin-shing, the company's operations director, said at a media gathering on Wednesday that the situation would be assessed and more manpower would be deployed at the stations.

The police strongly condemned the violence on Sunday and pledged to make the best efforts to arrest the offenders. So far, 12 people have been arrested in connection with the Yuen Long attacks.

Some residents had complained to the police saying no immediate action was taken by the police and some emergency calls had gone unanswered on Sunday night. Commissioner of Police Steven Lo Wai-chung said the police took some time to respond to the Yuen Long attacks as the manpower had been deployed to quell another violent incident in Hong Kong Island.

Those protesting against the now-suspended extradition bill had turned Hong Kong Island into a battlefield. The protesters, wearing masks and helmets, besieged the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong and some police stations in Hong Kong Island with barricades and defaced the national emblem with black paint.

Some schools and social service organizations canceled all activities on Monday or made special arrangements to enhance security.

Worried about students' safety, Ng Yung-fai, the principal of Heung To Middle School, in nearby Tin Shui Wai area, wrote to all the parents on Tuesday, asking them to keep a close watch on their children.

Ng said some parents had called the school, expressing their concern over children's safety in view of the tense situation prevailing in the area.

According to Ng, the Yuen Long District Secondary School Heads Association voiced their concerns to the Police District Commander of Yuen Long seeking stepped-up patrol in the densely populated areas of the district.

The association urged the police to quickly bring the offenders in the MTR station attacks to book.

Ng asked parents to keep their children away from the streets because of the likely mass demonstrations in Yuen Long this weekend.

Very few people in Yuen Long ventured into the streets after dark on Monday, with most of the shops closing early. "It is like a curfew," said a 30-year-old resident of Yuen Long, who gave his first name as Lau.

Lau, who said he is yet to recover from the trauma of Sunday night's attack, told China Daily that many people were still worried about their safety and do not dare to wear black or white clothes on the streets.

A mother of a three-year-old said the recent incidents have left her very disturbed. She said she forbid her domestic help from taking her son near the MTR station out of fear there would be another attack.

"I hope the police can make the city safe again," she said.