Tai Wai Residents Blast Police For Tear Gas Use

Some angry residents in Tai Wai blasted the police after they fired tear gas to clear protesters who had set up a road block there in a flash mob move.

Riot police warned protesters who had created road blocks at Mei Tin Road near the MTR station and soon fired several rounds of tear gas. The protesters fled as soon as this happened.

Some of the residents who had come out after the melee blamed the use of tear gas in the residential area.

Yiu, who lives in Tai Wai, said he is outraged that police were firing tear gas at the area. He said he’s just walking by outside Che Kung Temple when hit by the tear gas, but some young people used saline solution to rinse his eyes.

Another resident who gave his name as Lau said he saw police firing tear gas on Che Kung Miu Road at some protesters who were very far away.

He questioned the use of firing tear gas when there’s no one in the vicinity. He said he’s lucky that the wind blew away the gas and wasn’t really affected.

One female resident became emotional and shouted at police, saying her 90-year-old father lives in the area and is not able to walk away from the tear gas.

One 30-year-old resident, who gave his name as Chan, was angry at the protesters. He criticised the protesters who had dismantled some footpath barriers, and said he had come down to clean the area up.

The tear gas fired near the MTR station also created panic among some passengers.

Some protesters ran to the platform, asking passengers not to exit at Tai Wai as police were firing tear gas. One kid at the station who was hit by the gas were helped by some protesters who helped his mum to rinse the eyes.

Some passengers who were in the train said they could smell tear gas even inside the compartment.