Police made the first arrests in Hong Kong of Falun Gong supporters yesterday as they staged a hunger strike to support other followers of the spiritual movement who are imprisoned in China.
The 10 Falun Gong practitioners were arrested for "obstruction in public places" and later released. But the protesters said they would continue their demonstration even if it meant risking arrest again.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Nine women and one man began their sit-in and hunger strike at 9am at the front entrance of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government, in Hong Kong's western district. They left plenty of room for passers-by in an area that was virtually empty.
Police on the sidewalk outnumbered the Falun Gong followers and Falun Gong said that if anybody had been blocking things, it was the police.
"When the police say we are obstructing the sidewalk, they should first ask themselves to stop obstructing the sidewalk," said Fiona Ching, who had been at the scene of the protest.
"We have warned them many times that their sit-in protests have obstructed the public," regional police commander Ng Wing-kai told reporters at the scene.
"On top of that, we have received two complaints from the public about their obstruction," Ng said, without disclosing who had complained.
"We were all released by about 6:30pm. We were unable to reach a compromise with the police about our protest, so we will continue our effort," hunger striker Zhou Sheng said after her release.
"We were forced individually into police vehicles at about 1pm," Wang Yaoqing, another hunger striker said.
"The police told us we were arrested because of traffic obstruction complaints made by the Chinese Liaison Office," Wang said by mobile phone during her detention at Hong Kong's western district police station yesterday afternoon.
The Hong Kong government said in a statement regarding the arrests that the police "would endeavor to ensure public order, safety and reduce any inconvenience to the public to the minimum."
Police insisted Falun Gong had not been singled out and Security Bureau spokeswoman Patricia Mok said Falun Gong was free to keep practicing and speaking its mind in Hong Kong as long as its members obey the law.
"I want to stress that we treat this group like any other group," Ng said. "We just act according to the rules. We treat everybody the same."
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