Dharamsala, March 15 – Hong Kong Police arrested a 21-year old man for carrying out a sit-in protest marking the anniversary of a Tibetan uprising against Beijing.
The arrested person was among about 20 other protesters who held a candle light vigil on Saturday and attempted to raise a Tibetan national flag on the gates of the Chinese government’s liaison office in Hong Kong.
“This approach of protecting the liaison office from embarrassment by all means necessary has gone to an extreme where there is a total disrespect for the constitutional right to protest,” Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor Director Law Yuk-kai said.
The arrested person was accused of attacking police in a scuffle, but was later released on a bail of 500 Hong Kong dollars (US$64).
Rights activists allege that the Hong Kong government, under pressure from Beijing, has started to take a harder line against protesters critical of China’s authoritarian regime. The Hong Kong Police have recently arrested demonstrators demanding release of a prominent Chinese dissident
