Hong Kong police step up security after Occupy Central protests

The Hong Kong government is seeking to increase security after the Occupy Central pro-democracy protests in late 2014, which led to widespread unrest and disrupted traffic in the city, as well as a recent round of protests against mainland traders buying up cheap goods in the city.

Outside the Happy Valley police station in the former Crown Colony, workmen have been removing the wooden frameworks from around large concrete blocks at the front of the building, while police officers were ordered to step up control of public gatherings in the territory.

The officers have been ordered to implement more strictly an existing public order law from 1967, which was used to crack down on pro-Beijing leftist riots against British colonial rule.

In recent years, the ordinance has mostly been used against organised criminals from triad gangs, but post- Occupy, officers have been ordered to break up any gathering deemed likely to cause any breach of the peace or threat to public safety.

New guideline

They have been told to enforce laws governing public order to prevent any “suspicious” gathering of at least three people from turning into a protest, according to a new guideline from the top cited by multiple police sources, quoted by the

South China Morning Post

newspaper.

Earlier this month, there were protests in the Tuen Men district against so-called “parallel traders” who come across the border to buy goods to sell in mainland China.

There are signs in shops reminding people of the restrictions on the amount of baby milk formula that mainland tourists are allowed to buy – there are ongoing consumer concerns about the safety of milk products in China.

In Hong Kong there are growing fears that mainlanders are buying up daily necessities in the city to resell in China.

The protesters chanted “Combat illegal parallel trade” and “Buy mainland goods if you are really patriotic” before rushing jewellery shops and other outlets.

Strong currency

There have been demonstrations for four weeks in a row in border areas with links to the border at Lo Wu, as locals feel that Chinese mainlanders, armed with strong renminbi currency, are taking advantage of prices in Hong Kong.

In 2008, contaminated baby formula killed at least six infants and sickened thousands of others, and mainland tourists have bought up entire stocks of milk powder during subsequent scares about formula quality since then. In 2013, Hong Kong imposed a limit of two cans, or 1.8 kilos, per outbound traveller.

Much of the anger in Hong Kong is directed against Beijing, which runs the territory since it reverted to Chinese rule in 1997.

The Global Times newspaper in Beijing, while keeping reporting of the Occupy Central protests to a minimum, has portrayed the democracy protests and the recent anti-mainland protests as a threat to stability.

“The illegal Occupy Central movement and the anti-mainlander activism have offered robbers an opportunity of reckless looting,” said an editorial in the newspaper.

“ The ravaging of the spirit of rule of law will wield a massive negative influence upon public security,” it added.