HONG KONG - A 37-year-old man was arrested early Saturday morning in Yuen Long on suspicion of desecrating the national flag.

He was also accused of criminal damage and theft.

READ MORE: Protester jailed for 5 weeks for burning national flag

Under the National Flag and National Emblem Ordinance, any person who desecrates the national flag or national emblem faces a fine of up to HK$50,000 (US$6,450) and three years in prison

According to local police, a task force on patrol in the heart of Yuen Long district found the man damaging a national and a regional flag hoisted by the roadside at 1 am. The suspect then abandoned the flags on the road and nearby river courses, police said. He also stole another regional flag, police said.

The man was immediately stopped and arrested. He is being detained for questioning by a criminal iinvestigation team at Yuen Long Police Station.

Police reminded the public that it is a criminal offense to desecrate the national flag.

Under the National Flag and National Emblem Ordinance, which came into effect on July 1, 1997, any person who desecrates the national flag or national emblem by publicly and willfully burning, mutilating, scrawling on, defiling, or trampling on it faces a fine of up to HK$50,000 (US$6,450) and three years in prison.

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On July 10, a 21-year-old man was sentenced to five weeks’ imprisonment by the Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Courts for burning the national flag.