Police assault sparks outrage

A VIDEOTAPE of plainclothes police officers allegedly kicking and beating an Occupy Central (佔領中環) protester aired by TVB has sparked public outrage.

The footage showed social worker Ken Tsang Kin-chiu (曾健超) handcuffed and escorted by seven officers from the scene of the scuffles in Lung Wo Road (龍和道), Tamar (添馬).

But before reaching a police vehicle, Tsang was taken to a dark, secluded corner of Tamar Park (添馬公園), where he was allegedly kicked and beaten for about four minutes after being pushed to the ground, TVB (無.電視) reported.

On leaving North Point Police Station (北角警署) shortly before 10pm on Wednesday, Tsang announced to the waiting press, “You should have seen the footage of a number of police officers brutally assaulting me while I was detained and utterly defenceless.

“Prior to that, I had already been assaulted and later assaulted yet again in the police station,” he claimed.

“I have sought legal advice as to pursuing legal action against the police and the officers concerned.”

Tsang then began pointing at the bruises on his face and pulled up his black T-shirt to show injuries to his neck, chest and back.

Civic Party (公民黨) member Tanya Chan Suk-chong (陳淑莊) said Tsang suffered multiple injuries, including bruises and scratches on his face, neck, head and back. But no bones were fractured.

Civic Party lawmaker and barrister Dennis Kwok Wing-hang (郭榮鏗), who is assisting Tsang, said, “We believe he suffered not just from surface wounds to the face but also internal injuries in the waist area.”

Tsang, wearing an oxygen mask, was later escorted by his lawyers to Ruttonjee Hospital (律敦治醫院) in Wan Chai (灣仔) on a stretcher.

Chief superintendent of the Police Public Relations Branch (警察公共關係科) Steve Hui Chun-tak (許鎮德) said two inspectors and five junior police officers were involved in the alleged assault.

They have all been removed from their current duties. Six of the seven officers pictured in the TVB footage have already been identified by netizens.

Hui said a special task force has been set up to look into the case. The Complaints Against Police Office (投訴警察課) has already received a complaint.

(The Standard, Jasmine Siu and Kenneth Lau, 16 October, 2014)