Protesters vandalise Hong Kong MTR station again, police fire tear gas

A protester confronts a police officer during a demonstration at Taikoo station in Hong Kong. PHOTO: REUTERS

Updated

Published

Oct 04, 2019, 12:50 AM

HONG KONG (XINHUA, AFP) - Violent protesters vandalised public facilities and paralysed traffic on Thursday evening (Oct 3) in different parts of Hong Kong, triggering police dispersal operations after repeated warnings.

At around 10pm local time, a large number of violent protesters vandalised facilities including escalators and CCTV cameras at Taikoo MTR (Mass Transit Railway) Station on Hong Kong Island, and illegally occupied King's Road.

Police officers deployed tear gas and appropriate force to disperse the violent protesters, the police said.

In Tuen Mun in the New Territories, a large number of violent protesters built barricades along several roads near Tuen Mun Town Hall, paralysing traffic between Kowloon and Tuen Mun.

Some of them also damaged Tuen Mun government offices.

The police warned all violent protesters to stop all illegal acts and leave immediately, and advised drivers and members of the public to avoid travelling to the area.

Hong Kong will soon ban the wearing of face masks at public protests, local media reported on Thursday, in a clampdown on pro-democracy rallies that have rocked the strife-torn city.

Protesters have used face masks to avoid identification - along with yellow helmets, goggles and respirators to protect themselves from tear gas and police projectiles.

Officials plan to deter future gatherings by introducing the ban under a colonial-era emergency law that bypasses the city's legislature, according to the South China Morning Post.

City leader Carrie Lam is expected to announce the measure on Friday, the Post reported.

Pro-Beijing lawmakers in the financial hub have renewed their calls for Mrs Lam to introduce the emergency ordinance since Tuesday, when protests in Hong Kong overshadowed 70th anniversary celebrations for the founding of the People's Republic of China.

In the worst day of violence since the protests movement began, police shot and wounded a teenager who attacked officers with a stick, and fired a record 1,400 rounds of tear gas to disperse crowds across the city.