On Wednesday, several anti-WTO protesters were slightly injured
when they clashed with police for the second consecutive day
outside the Convention and Exhibition Center where the World Trade
Organization's (WTO) Sixth Ministerial Conference is being
held.?
The day's demonstrations started in the morning, with brief
protests outside six consulates, including those of the United
States, South Korea, the Philippines and Japan, as well as the
local offices of the European Union.
Protesters started marching from Admiralty Station at about
11:30 AM to the Wan Chai demonstration area, waving and smiling to
onlookers along the way.
Sudden dash
Instead of entering the designated protest area upon arrival at
the Wan Chai cargo handling area, about 100 South Korean protesters
made a sudden dash for it and breached a line of police officers at
the intersection of Marsh Road and Hung Hing Road.
The group ran in the direction of the conference venue and
straight into a riot police barrier.
The unarmed demonstrators threw themselves against police
shields, punching and kicking anything around them.
Just like the day before, police sprayed protesters with OC foam
(similar to pepper spray) to control the situation. But the
well-prepared protesters protected their faces with plastic
wrap.
Protesters snatched more than 10 police shields through a series
of scuffles, but later returned them and even shook hands with
officers.
The protesters took several breaks between the clashes and
staged Korean drum and dance performances, while some of them sat
down to smoke. They cleaned up their own rubbish prior to leaving
the venue.
After the South Koreans left, another group of demonstrators,
mostly from South Asia, took their place and charged at police
officers at the same spot, using flagpoles as weapons.
Unlike their South Korean counterparts, these protesters did not
protect their faces and were quickly scattered by the OC foam.
The protesters eventually turned around and marched back to
Victoria Park, where another rally was being held.
Alfred Ma, Chief Superintendent of the Police Public Relations
Branch, said it was "not surprising" and "normal" for police
officers to lose their shields to protesters in the chaotic
clashes.
He said their tolerance and defensive tactics were instrumental
in keeping the protesters at bay.
Arrests possible
Police have avoided making any arrests in order to not further
provoke the protesters, but the possibility cannot be ruled out if
the violence escalates, Ma said.
The main theme of yesterday's demonstration was to oppose the
General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), which would lead to
the privatization of public services such as electricity and
education.
Min Sawon, a Korea University student who clashed with police on
Tuesday, said he was worried that the implementation of GATS would
make tuition even more unaffordable. He said he also participated
in protests in South Korea.
"Hong Kong police are very nice, but they sprayed me several
times," he said.
Representatives from the Philippines were concerned that GATS
would make public services such as water supplies and medical
benefits available only to those who could afford them.
(China Daily December 15, 2005)