First-aid workers slam medic arrests at Hong Kong campus

Hong Kong medical workers on Friday expressed outrage over the arrests this week of a number of colleagues at a university campus occupied by pro-democracy protesters, and called on the government to allow them to do their jobs.

Darren Mann, a city doctor, said that he and other medical workers had volunteered Sunday to treat injuries at the campus of Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), which saw fiery clashes between police and pro-democracy protesters.

When police that night declared that anyone on the campus was subject to arrest for rioting, those detained included teams of medical workers -- even though many wore vests clearly identifying themselves as first-aid personnel.

"If you saw ambulancemen, kneeling with their hands behind their back, and zip-ties around their wrists, you would be rightfully outraged," Mann told a press conference.

Mann said the protest satisfied all international criteria for "a mass casualty incident", with victims suffering injuries such as choking from tear gas, burns, broken bones, and rubber-bullet wounds.

"These are the injuries of warfare. Why was it being managed there? Because that's where the injuries occurred," Mann said.

"Usually you don't want your first-aid providers to leave. In our proud tradition, we are the last people to leave."