More Than 80 Held, Searches Continued Into The Night

Police say they have arrested 86 people as of 10pm on Thursday, as officers continued their stop-and-search operations into the night in Causeway Bay to make sure no unauthorised protests took place in the area.

Calls were made online for people to demonstrate on the National Day against the detention of the 12 Hongkongers on the mainland after they were arrested on the high seas while fleeing to Taiwan.

Large number of police officers were present in the area from the afternoon and they continued to intercept people in the shopping area as late as 9pm.

The officers raised the blue flag several times, warning people to disperse and saying they could be gathering illegally.

There were no visible signs of organised protests, and people who had come out in the evening to shop during the mid-autumn festival complained that the officers were overreacting.

Tempers flared when some challenged the orange ribbon cordons that the police erected frequently to hold back people. Media workers were also got caught in the restricted areas a number of times.

At Great George Street, the officers raised the yellow flag to warn the crowd they are in breach of the law and may be prosecuted. One man stopped by the police was also asked to remove his mask so that officers could take his photo.

Earlier in the day, a few defiant people seems to be making symbolic protests sporadically, such as reading the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily in the streets. A pro-Beijing man also appeared in the area later, waving a huge national flag.

And in Mong Kok, some riot officers have also searched several people before letting them go.