The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday condemned Sunday night’s attack by a group of masked men on protesters at a Hong Kong subway station, urging the territory’s authorities to thoroughly investigate the case and engage in dialogue with its people to resolve their differences.
At least 45 people were injured after a group of masked men, clad in white T-shirts and many wielding sticks and metal bars, entered a Mass Transit Railway station in Yuen Long District and attacked passengers, including some on a train, footage taken by commuters and Hong Kong Democratic Party lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting (林卓廷) showed.
DPP spokeswoman Lee Yen-jong (李晏榕) condemned the Hong Kong authorities for doing little to protect its people from such violent acts.
Lee said the reluctance of Hong Kong’s leaders to engage in dialogue with protesters, who had been calling on them for weeks to withdraw a proposed bill that would allow the extradition of criminal suspects to China, is the main reason for escalating tensions in the territory.
For the benefit of its people, Hong Kong authorities should listen to the public instead of serving as a puppet of the Chinese government, Lee said.
KMT deputy spokesman Huang Hsin-hua (黃心華) said the party condemned such organized gang violence against anyone taking part in social movements, urging Hong Kong authorities to get to the bottom of the attacks.
As a society known for rule of law across Asia, the Hong Kong government needs to enhance dialogue with its people to resolve the public’s lack of trust so the matter can be resolved rationally, Huang said.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) on Sunday night said on Twitter that “it’s sad to see the rule of law eroding & the divide between the people & the government widening in Hong Kong.”
Wu called on the Hong Kong authorities to deal with the public by advancing democracy instead of suppressing dissent.
“The way forward is genuine democratic elections, not violence in the streets & MTR stations,” Wu tweeted, adding that “the freedom & Human Rights of the people must be protected!”
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