'I hope Hong Kong can restore peace'

Editor's Note: A Hong Kong police officer who was slashed on the neck while on duty on Oct 13 was interviewed by Beijing News on Tuesday. The officer, who has served in the Hong Kong police force for over two decades, is one of the hundreds of police officers who have been injured in the 6 months of unrest. The following are excerpts of the interview:

My veins and a set of nerves were cut, but fortunately no arteries were severed. One of the functions of the severed nerves is to operate the right vocal cord, and although they are now reattached, the right vocal cord is still useless. My family members have always been very supportive of my work, but because of this incident, they are really worried about my safety and they advised me to do paperwork after I return to duty.

The man who slashed my neck has been arrested on suspicion of "intent to murder". He is 18 years old and was studying in a middle school in the New Territories. Police found a suicide note at his home.

I think my injury was only an isolated incident and I don't believe Hong Kong will become more violent in the future. I don't hate the man who injured me, but I don't understand why he did it. I hope everyone can stop violence so that Hong Kong can return to what it was like before. I hope all Hong Kong residents express their concerns in a peaceful and rational manner.

I think there was a lot of freedom to live in Hong Kong before the unrest began, but all this is being taken away. Because of the demonstrations and unrest, our traffic is disrupted and people's freedom has been deprived by the demonstrators. Before the unrest erupted, people could go wherever they wanted, and if there was someone who wanted to open a business, he or she would not be influenced by anyone else regardless of his or her political stance.

It is people's freedom to express their opinions, but it does not mean they have the right to express their concerns using force. As a Hong Kong resident, I don't want to see so much violence in this city. Any kind of violence, no matter what the cause, should not be allowed.

For law enforcement over the past six months, my colleagues have kept restraint, using only tear gas even in the face of demonstrators who threw gasoline bombs, bricks, and sometimes even used bows and arrows. Whether residents support the police or not, the police have to do their job as they are supposed to do.