Carrie Lam Concerned About Pregnant Woman Incident

Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Tuesday that she's concerned about a pregnant woman who had to be hospitalised after she came under police pepper spray and fell to the ground when the officers tried to arrest her husband in Mong Kok on Monday night.

The incident happened when police were trying to clear some people who had gathered in the area outside Prince Edward MTR station to commemorate the officers' storming of the train station one year ago.

Lam said the woman felt some discomfort during the police action and noted that the force had already expressed concern about the incident.

The Chief Executive said she hopes such incidents won't repeat, adding that scenes of law enforcement are often chaotic and the force should review its operations when something undesirable happens.

But she said if there are no conflicts, officers need not take action.

In a Facebook post on Monday night, the police said that while arresting a man on Argyle Street near Tung Choi Street, officers pulled away an accompanying woman and deployed pepper spray in response to the situation.

They also said the officers summoned an ambulance as they realised later that the woman was pregnant and was feeling unwell. She was then sent to the Kwong Wah Hospital.

“Police are highly concerned about this case and express concern for the pregnant woman, who was affected during the chaotic situation on the protest site,” the statement said, adding officers accompanied the woman and her family to the hospital to render assistance.

Yau Tsim Mong district councillor Andy Yu, who is helping the couple, said the initial checks showed the woman and the baby are safe and she's been sent to the obstetrics and gynaecology ward for monitoring.

He said it is ridiculous for the police to deny they had pushed her but said they only pulled her away, and to arrest her husband on suspicion of disorder in public place.

The councillor said it's up to people to judge whether or not if the couple, who work in Mong Kok, should've been in the area when the force dispersed the crowd.

“I think the government and the Chief Executive forget why the people need to come out,” he said.

Yu also said "police were violent and not the people" during the event last year at the train station. He said people still remember that and that is why they felt the need to mark its first anniversary.

Large number of people had turned up in the area on Monday to mark the August 31 storming by riot police officers.

There was a heavy police presence in and around the station and officers repeatedly warned the crowd against breaching Covid-19 restrictions and the new national security law. Police said 14 people were arrested by 11pm.