‘I am the girl whose eye got shot’ in Hong Kong
RTHK reports on one of the more powerful human symbols of the Hong Kong protest movement:
Police on Thursday said they are seeking a court warrant to get the medical records of a young woman who suffered a serious eye injury during protest clashes in Tsim Sha Tsui earlier this month.
The police have been accused of shooting her with a bean bag round, but the force says it is still not clear what actually happened. Some have suggested that the injury may have been caused by a projectile thrown or fired by protesters…
Meanwhile, the woman has spoken for the first time since she was injured on August 11, [giving] a speech in a video clip which was played at a press conference held by a group of anti-government protesters.
The woman’s right eye was covered with gauze, and she was wearing a pair of sunglasses and a mask. In the four-minutes of footage — said to have been recorded on August 26 — the woman called on the police “to stop all violent acts”.
Context: ’An eye for an eye’: Hong Kong protests get figurehead in woman injured by police in the Guardian.
Other news from and of Hong Kong:
“China’s military has rotated a new batch of troops into Hong Kongdescribing the move as routine, state media said on Thursday, as protests against Beijing continue to rock the Asian financial hub,” reports Reuters, adding that “Asian and Western diplomats in Hong Kong…will be looking closely for any sign of increased numbers or unusual activity.”
When asked directly if additional troops had deployed in Hong Kong at a press conference, a Ministry of Defense spokesperson ducked the question, saying only “This year’s rotation is a routine arrangement.” (Chinese transcript is here.)
“A Hong Kong policeman filmed pointing a shotgun at protesters who attacked him a month ago is among officers invited to attend a grand celebration for the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China,” reports the South China Morning Post.
“Activist Max Chung was assaulted by four men after leaving Tai Po Police Station on Thursday, shortly after he was granted unconditional release by police,” per Hong Kong Free Press. “Chung [鍾健平 Zhōng Jiànpíng] was walking along Tai Wo Road when four men ‘attacked him with metal rods and umbrellas,’ according to Truth Media Hong Kong.”
The corporate squeeze on staff continues: “Cathay Pacific Airways has reminded its staff about its policy to speak up and act as ‘whistle-blowers’ as a climate of fear grows among the airline’s employees about possible reprisals for their activities on social media,” says the South China Morning Post.
“Hong Kong police have banned both a rally and a march organised by the Civil Human Rights Front planned for Saturday, according to the group’s convener Jimmy Sham [岑子杰 Cén Zijié],” reports the Hong Kong Free Press. “It marked the first time that an entire event organised by the pro-democracy coalition has been prohibited owing to concerns over public order.”
