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Monday, July 22, 2019, 10:43
HK community condemns violent siege of liaison office
By Staff Writers
Monday, July 22, 2019, 10:43 By Staff Writers

Protesters set barriers outside the building of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, July 21, 2019. (PHOTO BY CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG – Different sectors of the community denounced on Sunday night the violent besiege and vandalism of the liaison office in Sai Wan, demanding vandals be brought to justice and dealt with seriously.

Some masked protesters staged unprecedented vandalism and violent siege of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR Sunday evening following a largely peaceful public procession on the Hong Kong Island.

They threw eggs at and painted offensive graffiti on the outer wall of the office, defaced the national emblem and pried bricks from the pavement.

The purported defiling of the national emblem has hurt the feeling of the entire nation and far crossed the bottom line of expressing their opinions

Tung Chee-hwa, Vice-chairman, National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference

READ MORE: Central authorities: Siege of liaison office unacceptable

Vice-Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Tung Chee-hwa said he was saddened by the desecration of the national emblem, which is the symbol of a nation.

The purported defiling of the national emblem has hurt the feeling of the entire nation and far crossed the bottom line of expressing their opinions, Tung said.

He noted that a small fraction of the community has taken advantage of an inclusive society and deliberately sabotaged Hong Kong’s economy and social order, undermining the relations between the central government and the SAR.

To ensure the smooth implementation of the “one country, two systems”, anyone who loves Hong Kong must step forward to support the SAR government and police in safeguarding the rule of law. The authorities need to take decisive and necessary law enforcement to put an end to violence and restore peace and stability, Tung appealed.

The city’s largest political group – The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong – also condemned the unlawful acts of protesters.

These acts are blatant defiance of the central government, with no regards for the national dignity and the people of the country, according to a statement released by the city’s largest political group.

ALSO READ: Liaison office attack 'defiance of nation's sovereignty'

The Heung Yee Kuk in the New Territories said the violent besiege was a joint attempt by internal and external forces to undermine the SAR government’s authority. The SAR government and police should take actions in accordance with the law. Law-breakers should not be tolerated, they added. 

New People’s Party said the violent acts not only tramped on the national dignity, violated the law and the “one country, two systems”, but also were intolerable as they were advocating Hong Kong independence.

Citing the National Flag and National Emblem Ordinance, lawyer Kennedy Wong Ying-ho said anyone who desecrates the national emblem by publicly and willfully burning, mutilating, scrawling on, defiling or tramping on it commits an offence and is liable to imprisonment for three years.

Hong Kong deputies to the 13th National People’s Congress also jointly issued a strongly worded statement to denounce the violent acts.

Hong Kong is a society based on the rule of law. There is no room for violence, the statement noted.

Police should take decisive, prompt and necessary actions to halt the violence and bring offenders to justice, according to the statement.

Kowloon Federation of Associations said the violent behaviors undermined Hong Kong’s constitutional orders and the “one country, two systems”. They supported the police’s actions to put an end to these illegal activities.

The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce also strongly condemned the violence and called for a swift resolution to the current impasse that has polarized our community.

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