Thousands of rioters toss gasoline bombs and corrosive liquid at the police, while the streets in busy commercial districts are engulfed in flames on Saturday. Photo by China Daily 

Chief Secretary for Administration Matthew Cheung Kin-chung reiterated on Sunday that Hong Kong’s top priority now is to put an end to the violence and restore peace.

Writing in his official blog, he condemned the extreme violent acts of radical protesters on Saturday, and urged all members of the community to firmly reject violent acts.

The HKSAR government fully supports the police in strictly enforcing the law and bringing the criminals to justice, Cheung vowed.

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His remarks after another day of unprecedented violence, in which thousands of rioters hurled gasoline bombs, corrosive liquid and bricks at the police and set fires on streets in busy commercial and residential districts across various districts on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon on Saturday.

These offenses, Cheung said, have gravely undermined the law and disrupted public order in reckless disregard for public safety.

The government is in the process of setting up a platform for dialogue with the public to resolve the deadlock and put the city back on track, Cheung wrote. He called on all sectors of society to work together with the government to address society’s deep-rooted issues.

Former police commissioner Andy Tsang Wai-hung also deplored the mobsters’ illegal behavior acts in a statement on Sunday.

The protesters’ illegal acts in the past three month have seriously disrupted public order and undermined the rule of law in Hong Kong, he said.

The former police chief said the safety of residents, as well as that of public and private properties, have come under constant threat of vandalism. Frontline police officers and their families also face continued attacks, bullying and humiliation, while police stations, officers’ living quarters, and other government facilities have become targets of radical protesters, he noted.

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Tsang described last Friday’s brutal assault on an off-duty police officer in Kwai Chung as “heinous” as the officer suffered serious wounds after being stabbed by three black-clad attackers.

He appealed to Hong Kong people to actively cooperate with the police in tracking down the suspects and bringing them to justice.