More Shooting Outrage in Hong Kong

Tsang Chi-kin lies on the ground right after he was shot yesterday

Tsang Chi-kin, the 18-year-old student who was shot in the chest yesterday by a police officer will pull through thankfully, and thousands of people demonstrated their anger about the shooting with an impromptu march through Central at lunchtime.

Office workers in the area took over the streets to march from Chater Garden to Sheung Wan, raising their hands with fingers outstretched to show they want all five demands met, and chanted slogans. They literally stopped traffic as they marched, giving a very good indication of how much outrage there is towards the police.

Thousands marched around Central protesting the shooting

Meanwhile, Chinese state media claimed what the police officer did was completely legal, that he was within his rights to defend himself.

"Rioters attacked police officers on a great scale at Tsuen Wan," Xinhua said in a commentary early Wednesday morning. "The life of the officer at the scene was under serious threat and he was forced to shoot at the assailant to protect his own life as well as his colleagues. [His] action was totally legal, legitimate and appropriate," it said.

However, critics have said the officer should have de-escalated the situation rather than use live rounds. In fact yesterday six live rounds were fired around the city. Why so many yesterday? Were they given instructions to use live rounds? They were only further escalating the already tense situation.

And to further aggravate the frustration, former chief executive Leung Chun-ying wrote a letter to the the Tsuen Wan school Tsang attends, and told the principal to expel the 18-year-old and that the principal should resign immediately.

This evening in Tsuen Wan more people protested

What kind of nonsense is that? How is it the principal's fault his student was out protesting, and how does expelling the boy do any good? Elitists are revealing their true colours...

As if this afternoon's march was not enough support for the student, thousands more gathered tonight in Tsuen Wan. People held signs that read, "Don't shoot our kids". It looks like more and more people are angry at the police and want justice for Tsang...

Speaking of shootings, there was an Indonesian reporter, Veby Indah, who was shot in the eye on Sunday in Wan Chai, and it has now been reported she has permanently lost sight in that eye.

Indonesian journalist Veby Idah right after she was shot

Her legal representative, Michael Vidler wrote in a statement: "the injury she received as a result of being shot by the police, will result in permanent blindness in her right eye. She was informed that the pupil of her eye was ruptured by the force of the impact. The exact percentage of permanent impairment can only be assessed after surgery.

"We can also confirm that we have received evidence from a third party, which indicates that the projectile that blinded Ms Veby was a rubber bullet and not a beanbag round as originally thought."

With lawyers already on the case, Indah will most probably sue the police, while Tsang's family can also exercise that legal option.

On Sunday Indah, like other reporters, was wearing a bright yellow vest and standing on the overpass that links the Wan Chai MTR station with Immigration Tower. She said heard other journalists saying to the police, "Don't shoot, we are journalists." But Indah said the police shot and the next thing she knew, she was down on the ground. 

Doctors say she has permanently lost sight in her right eye

An 18-year-old shot in the chest and is lucky to be alive, and a reporter has become blind in one eye because of the police. Is this the kind of image the Hong Kong police want to project? Or their integrity is already evaporated so it doesn't matter anymore?

Meanwhile the rest of us are wondering when and how this will all end...