Bloody mall clashes leave several injured

HONGKONG: Hong Kong anti-government protesters crowded shopping malls in running clashes with police on Sunday, with several suffering bloody wounds a day after parts of the Chinese-ruled city became a battleground after five months of unrest.

A human chain in the upmarket Hong Kong island mall of Cityplaza, in Taikoo Shing, turned into a bloody face-to-face conflict with police, running up and down escalators where families with young children had been window shopping just minutes before. Police said protesters had vandalised a restaurant after a peaceful chanting of slogans.

Several people were wounded, one man in a white tee-shirt being beaten with sticks by protesters. Another man lay in a pool of blood on the pavement. Broadcaster RTHK said district councillor Andrew Chiu was among the wounded and that part of his ear had been bitten off. It was not immediately possible to verify the report. A kitchen knife lay on the ground outside the mall.

“These police are not what they used to be,” said Julie, 24, giving police the middle finger. “They come in here and push us around. It is not right.”

Police made several arrests.

LAM TO HELP PEOPLE MOVE TO MAINLAND

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam will fly to China this week to discuss how to make it easier for people in the Chinese-ruled city, rocked by violent anti-china protests overnight, to live and work on the mainland, her office said on Sunday.

Lam, despised by pro-democracy protesters, will arrive in Beijing on Tuesday for a meeting the next day of the “leading group” for developing the Greater Bay Area of southern China. Many Hong Kong people are already moving out of the financial hub.