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Macau police panned after protest

Lawmakers yesterday criticized Macau police for firing warning shots during a May Day march that erupted into violence, as authorities investigate if one of the bullets may have injured a passing motorcyclist.

A man who said he was hit by a police bullet fired during the protest was stable in hospital yesterday, government and media reports said.

The man said he was struck in the neck by a falling bullet when police opened fire on Tuesday afternoon as the protest by labor unions suddenly turned violent.

Media reports in Macau and Hong Kong said doctors had to remove a metal object from the man's lung after it hit him in the neck and passed through his body.

A government statement said the man, aged in his fifties, had been hit as he rode a motorcycle some 300m from where police began shooting.

But officials said they had not yet been able to verify if the object was a police bullet and that they had launched an investigation.

Live bullets were fired above the crowd of more than 1,000 as protesters tried to break through police cordons during the march, called to protest against labor shortages and illegal immigration in the city of half a million.

The gunshots sparked chaotic scenes as some protesters tried to flee but others pressed on in the hope of marching on downtown government offices.

Riot police called in reinforcements and a five-hour stand off began, punctuated by occasional clashes in which protesters hurled water bottles and placards at officers.

A government statement said 900 police had been called in to to ease the violence and that 21 of them had been injured in the scuffles while 10 protesters had been arrested.

Organizers of the protest criticized the police reaction as heavy-handed, but the Macau government yesterday said shooting above the crowd was an "appropriate measure."

"Demonstrations should be carried out in a lawful manner and pose no threats to normal social and economic activities, and to other people's lawful rights," the statement read.

Legislator Au Kam-san (歐錦新) said police had no good reason to fire the warning shots as the protest was peaceful.

"Police can fire only if their safety is threatened but the march was largely peaceful. When police kept stopping the march and dragging away some protest leaders, people became angry," Au said, adding that he would ask police to justify the gunshots to legislators.
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