Govt Says UK Report Criticising Police Is 'biased'

The government on Wednesday dismissed a UK report that accused the police of violence against medical workers at protests, saying it was not objective.

In a statement, the administration said the report by the All-party Parliamentary Group on Hong Kong - an informal group of members of the UK parliament - was biased, because it was based on information from anonymous sources.

The government added that while police wouldn't get in medics' way, they also needed to deal with rioters posing as paramedics.

The government statement also said there were strict guidelines for officers on the use of force, which were in line with international standards.

The UK report urged London to impose sanctions on the Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, the Police Commissioner and all those responsible for what it found to be “excessive police violence” against medical workers during the anti-government protests.

The probe by the All-party Parliamentary Group on Hong Kong received around 1,000 written submissions and heard oral evidence of 10 people via video link including senior medical professionals, first aiders, journalists, and a former policeman.

The report said that the police have intimidated, harassed and threatened humanitarian aid workers, as well as inflicted physical violence and arrested them, in ways that fall short of international humanitarian law and principles, international human rights and the Sino-British Joint Declaration.