More clashes in HK as protesters regroup, police chief condemns

HONG KONG - Hong Kong's police chief on Saturday condemned Occupy protesters for undermining the rule of law after they regained a protest area which had been previously cleared by police.

More scuffles broke out Friday night and Saturday early morning in Mong Kok following the police's surprise clearing operation before dawn on Friday, when most of the tents, canopies, barricades set up by protesters that had been blocking main roads for almost three weeks were removed. The main thoroughfare Nathan Road, once partly freed up to traffic after the raid, was reoccupied by the protesters.

Commenting on the Occupy protests for the first time in public, Hong Kong Police Commissioner Andy Tsang said, "Police strongly condemn those who participated in the unlawful assembly, charged police cordon and illegally occupied major thoroughfares in Mong Kok earlier this morning and last night."

Mong Kok is an offshoot protest site across the Victoria Harbor from the main demonstration area in Admiralty where the region's government headquarters is located.

Tsang said that the protesters have seriously undermined public order and jeopardized public safety. "These illegal acts are undermining the rule of law, undermining what Hong Kong always relies upon to succeed."

He also noted that the police have been extremely tolerant of the unlawful acts of the demonstrators in the past two to three weeks.

Secretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok also condemned the latest violent acts in Mong Kok, saying it has been known that the clashes were initiated by some radical activists.

Lai said the acts were illegal and have undermined public order. He urged the protesters to leave.

According to the police, a total of 33 people were arrested in last night's clashes and 18 police officers were injured.

The number of protesters in Mong Kok grew on Saturday afternoon. Local media reports said shop owners showed concern over their business as protesters regrouped, while some of the local residents did not agree with police clearance and put their hope on the students-government dialogue to diffuse the standoff.

Hong Kong's Chief Secretary Carrie Lam said Saturday that region's government planned to have formal talks with representatives of the students participating in the Occupy movement next Tuesday, and each side will have five representatives.

Lam stressed that the government would hold the dialogue with sincerity. She also announced that Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen, Secretary for Constitutional Affairs Raymond Tam as well as herself would attend the talks.

Lam reiterated that Hong Kong's constitutional development should comply with the National People's Congress Standing Committee's (NPCSC) decision, and on that basis she is willing to listen to the students' suggestions.

She also denounced the protesters who committed acts of violence in Mong Kok Friday night, saying that it was clearly a premeditated attempt to block the roads.

President of Hong Kong's Legislative Council Jasper Tsang said clearance of barricades and clashes between protesters and police should not be affecting the dialogue between student protesters and the government, hoping that understanding and trust could be built between the two parties through effective communication.

Thousands of protesters, most of whom are students, joined the Occupy Central movement to express their discontent with the framework set by the NPCSC on electing the region's next leader through universal suffrage.

According to Hong Kong's Basic Law and the top legislature's decisions, more than 5 million Hong Kong voters could have a say to who will become the chief executive in 2017 through the "one man, one vote" election, which had never been realized under the British colonial rule.