6 hurt by fireworks amid Hong Kong protests on riot charges

Protesters clashed with police again in Hong Kong on Tuesday night after reports that some of their detained colleagues would be charged with the relatively serious charge of rioting.

Several hundred protesters mobilized in the streets outside a police station after 44 people were arrested on riot charges stemming from a Sunday night demonstration.

Hong Kong police said in a statement Tuesday that the protesters set up roadblocks, broke fences, damaged street signs and attacked police officers with bricks and iron rods.

One of the accused is a 33-year-old man who was also charged with assaulting a police officer, police said.

The accused rioters and a 24-year-old man charged with weapons possession will appear in court Wednesday.

A total of 49 people, including 32 men and 17 women between the ages of 16 and 41, had initially been arrested from the scene. Hong Kong police said it "will not rule out the possibility of further arrest" as it investigates the four others released temporarily or out on bail.

Video livestreamed by Hong Kong media showed protesters chanting slogans and throwing eggs at the Kwai Chung police station. Police used pepper spray to try to disperse them.

Fireworks were set off just before 3 a.m. Wednesday, injuring six men near another police station. Five people were taken to a nearby hospital for their injuries and the sixth man declined medical treatment at the scene, police said.

Video footage on social media appears to show a car driving by the Tin Shui Wai police station as fireworks flare by where protesters were gathered.

Police said it was not an action taken by officials and that officers are investigating the incident.

The unannounced protest capped another day of unrest. During the morning rush hour, commuters argued with demonstrators who blocked subway train doors in their continuing movement to demand greater accountability from the semi-autonomous Chinese territory's government.

Activists began protesting in early June for the government to withdraw an extradition bill that would have allowed people to be sent to stand trial in mainland China, where critics say their legal rights would be threatened. The government suspended the bill, but the protests have expanded to calls for democracy and government accountability.

Service was delayed and partially suspended on the Island and Kwun Tong lines, subway operator MTR said. It cited "a number of train door obstructions" as well as someone activating a safety device at a platform on the Kwun Tong line.

The action targeted rush hour traffic at several stations. MTR responded by providing minibuses to replace delayed trains, and normal service was restored by around noon.

Protester Ken Chan said he wanted MTR officials to explain why they allegedly failed to take action on July 21 when a large gang of men in white shirts brutally beat dozens of people inside a train station as a massive protest was winding down. Hong Kong's government and the central authorities in Beijing have blamed protesters for sparking the confrontation.

"How could they let the triads in white attack people on the platform randomly, including the elderly and children in the train?" said Chan, 32, using the common term for members of organized crime groups. "Some of the elderly got smacked on their heads, but (MTR staff) turned a blind eye to it."
"The government has not been addressing the problems in our society," Lee said. "That is why now Hong Kongers have no choice but to use different 'creative' approaches to remind people what is happening in Hong Kong."