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Hong Kong Police chief Dick Lee yesterday said the protesters who were arrested during the WTO ministerial conference in December had planned to infringe the law and order and the police did a commendable job in thwarting their plans.

Lee said this at a ceremony in which 25 police officers and 18 units were awarded for their role during the WTO conference (MC6). He also said that the police would strengthen the use of negotiators in handling large events.

The shops in Wan Chai suffered huge losses and their business was severely affected, especially on December 17 when the protesters broke the police cordon, bringing chaos and pandemonium in the district.

Police had to use tear gas and water canon to disperse the protesters. About 1,100 protesters were arrested and 14 of them were prosecuted. Later they were all released by the court.

Lee, however, said the police did not make any arrest in Lockhart Road on that day.

"If we arrested them in Wan Chai central area, then the manpower arrangement would have been affected. So we pushed the protesters out of Wan Chai central area and forced them to move to the waterfront area," he said.

Lee admitted that senior officers had met two groups of South Korean farmers representatives that night, but stressed that the police were not negotiating with them.

"They had violated the law and order, and there was no room for negotiation. We just hoped that the representatives could help asking the 1,100 protesters not to be confrontational," he added.

Commenting on the nature of the protesters, Lee said, "The first group was cooperative, but the second group was radical."

He, however, said the court had its reasons to release them even though they were engaged in violent clashes.

"They bought air tickets to come to Hong Kong, and were backed by other people. They would definitely take action to attract attention," he said.

Lee said the police strategy was successful and the conference was held smoothly.

Lauding the use of negotiators as the communication channel between the police and the non-governmental organizations, he said: "The negotiators have good communication skills. The protesters can understand more about our law through the negotiators, and we can also understand more about what the protesters want."

Memorable experience

Lee said the WTO was a memorable experience for most of the officers.

Alan Chung, a senior inspector who was a negotiator between the police and NGOs, believed the key to successful negotiation was to avoid being confrontational.

"We need to understand them, and know more about how the WTO affects them. They are happy to share their views with us.

"The farmers were hostile at first, but they became friendly after we gave them Korean kimchi," he said.

Chung, who joined the force 13 years ago, said the WTO task was unique from his previous negotiating jobs.

"For other jobs, such as suicide, it just took a few hours and you would know whether you succeed. However, the WTO was a different challenge and you need to prepare a few months before it was held," he added.

Chief inspector Chow Kwok-kee, who joined the force 32 years ago, said he would cherish the WTO memory for a long time.

"I was excited when the protesters were rounded up as we could control the situation," he said.

"I was sleepless and lost five pounds after the conference," he recalled.

(China Daily HK Edition July 14, 2006)