Hong Kong police plan to recruit up to 1,700 physically strong
officers, subject to the government's approval, for handling
large-scale events similar to the December 13-18 Sixth WTO
Ministerial Conference.
About 1,000 anti-WTO protesters were rounded up on December 17,
the day violence erupted in Wan Chai.
Fourteen of them were charged with unlawful assembly, but later
their hearing was adjourned to January 11 because more time was
needed for further investigation and completion of the
identification process.
Twelve of them, 11 South Koreans and one Japanese released on
bail, went on an indefinite hunger strike yesterday, demanding that
they be released immediately. They will stay inside a booth set up
near the Star Ferry at Tsim Sha Tsui from about 9 AM and be removed
to their accommodation in a Shek Kip Mei church at night.
The recruitment of 1,600 to 1,700 police officers during the
next fiscal year has been necessitated because of vacancies created
by retirements and resignations, Commissioner of Police Dick Lee
said yesterday, fearing that more officers might quit the force for
private organizations because of the improving economy.
The police force's ability to provide security and maintain
social order would suffer if they could not recruit enough
officers, he said. "Handling the WTO conference last month was very
demanding physically and mentally for our officers. The security of
Hong Kong may be affected if we cannot recruit enough staff."
Lack of interpreters
Admitting that policemen had committed some minor mistakes
during the WTO meeting, Lee said that security arrangements for it
would be reviewed in two months.
"(During the operation) we did not provide enough translators,"
he said. "There were a lot of people arrested and all of them
needed translators. We spent too much time getting things
translated. We had not foreseen such a situation and we certainly
could have done better."
The Hong Kong People's Alliance on WTO will hold a candle-light
vigil from today until next Tuesday near the Tsim Sha Tsui ferry
pier, demanding the release of the protesters.
The alliance has urged the people of Hong Kong to join the
hunger strike from 3?PM next Tuesday until the court
proceedings began on Wednesday.
Elizabeth Tang, the alliance's chairperson, said more foreign
activists might join the demonstration if the court didn't release
anti-WTO protesters on Wednesday. "The protesters only targeted
WTO, not police," she said.
Vice chairperson of South Korean Confederation of Trade Unions,
Yang Kyung-kyu, said they did not have any other effective method
to express their views. "The only way for us to deliver our message
is with our body and soul. Our demonstrations are legitimate."
He said the protesters wanted to go home and reunite with their
families. "The
Lunar New Year is just round the corner. We want to be ... with
our loved ones. We want to be with our family and friends on that
day."
Japanese protester Ksuke Nakagiri said he hoped the voice of the
protesters would spread to different economies.
(China Daily HK edition January 6, 2006)