Cheung: Lawlessness, violence hinder HK economic recovery

HONG KONG - As the city is emerging from the dark shadows of the coronavirus pandemic that has devastated its economy, the road to recovery is clouded by a social perversion that resurfaced in the lawless behaviors of radical protesters on Labor Day, warned a top Hong Kong government official.

In his Sunday blog, Chief Secretary for Administration Matthew Cheung Kin-chung said that in unity, Hong Kong people have achieved economic prosperity and are on course to winning the battle against the pandemic. But all such efforts could be jeopardized by a small group of radicals bent on destroying Hong Kong for their political aims.

In their latest attempts, radical protesters, ignoring the government's social distancing rules, joined illegal assemblies at multiple locations across the city, and hurled gasoline bombs at a police vehicle.

The recent resurgence of unlawful assemblies and protests will increase the risk of spreading Covid-19 in the city, and endanger public safety, Cheung wrote.

As coronavirus outbreak was showing signs of abating, these illegal activities could negate the collective efforts the people of Hong Kong in fighting deadly virus, Cheung stressed.

He pointed out that the street violence and lawlessness, if allowed to persist, would be rubbing salt to the wound of the battered economy, dimming the prospect of a steady economic recovery by driving away foreign investors concerned about the threat to law and order.

He expressed concern that disdain for the law has spread like a virus in the city. He cited the high percentage of young people among those arrested in connection with illegal protests and violent clashes with the police that started last June.

About 40 percent of the radicals arrested in violent demonstrations were students, of whom 1,400 were under the age of 18. More than 460 students have been charged. Eight offenders under the age of 18 have been convicted, with the youngest being just 13 years of age. Cheung said it was saddening to see young people being misled to break the law and have their futures ruined.

The Labor Day holiday weekend starting from Thursday has seen crowds of radical protesters gathered in various location, giving rise to chaos and violence.

In Mong Kok on Friday night, hard-core radicals threw gasoline bombs at a police vehicle, leading to the arrest of a 15-year-old juvenile for arson and possession of offensive weapons with intent to damage public properties.

Also on Friday, the police seized 10 kgs of inflammable and hazardous chemicals, along with an improvised explosive device, modified cell phones, circuit boards and a pressure cooker in an abandoned school in Ng Tau Kok of Kowloon.

The police said it was the 11th case where explosives had been found in Hong Kong since the beginning of the social unrest last June.

The seized chemicals and devices could be used to make weapons of massive destructive power, posing grave threats to public safety, the police warned.