Commuters Appalled By MTR Station Violence

Yuen Long MTR Station was open again as normal on Monday morning following violent scenes the previous night, but many commuters said they were appalled by what had happened there just a few hours earlier.

Men armed with bamboo sticks and wearing white t-shirts chased and beat up passengers and journalists inside the station on Sunday night, with no police intervention for more than half an hour.

A man who gave his surname as Cheng, a civil servant who works near the station, told RTHK that the attacks were unacceptable.

“Of course, I guess everyone in Hong Kong will feel so angry. Such rude guys fighting people in the street, in the MTR station… that is absolutely ridiculous. And, we cannot accept any kind of violence in this situation,” he said.

Another man who lives near the station questioned why police took so long to respond.

“From 7.30pm onwards, I could hear people in the street shouting. And, I think, up until 11.30, that’s the first time I heard actually the police sirens going to the MTR station,” he told RTHK’s Violet Wong. “For me that’s a very slow response time.”

A woman who lives and works in the area became emotional as she recalled how she couldn't get help from the police last night.

“I tried to call the police, the 999 and also the direct line to Yuen Long Police Station…. It was around 10 something. No one picked up,” she said.