Chinese Police 'provoked' In HK Journalist Tussle

A local deputy to the National People's Congress, Ip Kwok-him, has defended Beijing police over an incident that left a Hong Kong journalist bloodied and bruised on Wednesday, saying the officers were provoked.

Now TV cameraman Chui Chun-ming had been in Beijing to cover a hearing involving rights lawyer Xie Yanyi. Officers had refused to return his press pass, but Xie snatched it back and gave it to him.

Several officers then manhandled Chui to the ground and dragged him away to a van.

But on Sunday Ip said he believes the cameraman was manhandled because he accepted the snatched pass. And he rejected claims that the police were being violent and targeting local journalists.

The chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, Chris Yeung, disagreed, saying: "The Chinese authorities, if they have the will to do so, can come up with a more detailed and convincing account of what happened.

"And the key question: Why the use of such force or violence for that reporter, who appears not to have taken any highly provocative action against the public security officers."

Meanwhile about a dozen members from the League of Social Democrats protested outside Beijing’s liaison office against the recent violence against local journalists on the mainland. As well as Wednesday's incident, a reporter from Cable TV was attacked by two men in Sichuan earlier this month.

Shouting slogans outside the office, the protesters urged mainland authorities to follow up on the incidents, and criticised the Chief Executive Carrie Lam for being ambivalent and not safeguarding press freedom.