ຜູ້ນຳຮົງກົງ ທ່ານນາງແຄຣຣີ ແລມ ໄດ້ຫ້າມພວກປະທ້ວງບໍ່ໃຫ້ໃສ່ໜ້າກາກ ຊຶ່ງທ່າທີທີ່ເຄັ່ງຄັດຂຶ້ນຂອງລັດຖະບານ ຢູ່ໃນດິນແດນທີ່ມີວິກິດທີ່ທຳໃຫ້ມີການເສຍຫາຍຫລາຍທີ່ສຸດ ນັບແຕ່ໄດ້ເມືອງດັ່ງກ່າວຖືກສົ່ງຄືນໃຫ້ແກ່ການປົກຄອງຂອງຈີນໃນປີ 1997 ເປັນຕົ້ນມາ.
ທ່ານນາງແລມ ໄດ້ປະກາດການຫ້າມດັ່ງກ່າວຢູ່ໃນກອງປະຊຸມນັກຂ່າວ ໃນຕອນບ່າຍຊຶ່ງໃນນັ້ນທ່ານນາງໄດ້ຕຳໜິການເພີ້ມທະວີການກໍ່ຄວາມຮຸນແຮງຂຶ້ນຫວ່າງມໍ່ໆມານີ້ ຫຼັງຈາກມີການປະທ້ວງຕ້ານລັດຖະບານມາໄດ້ສີ່ເດືອນແລ້ວ. ການຫ້າມໃສ່ໜ້າກາກມີຜົນບັງຄັບໃຊ້ໃນວັນເສົາມື້ອື່ນນີ້ ແລະຈະຖືກນຳໃຊ້ຕໍ່ຄົນທີ່ຢູ່ໃນການເຕົ້າໂຮມ “ຜິດກົດໝາຍ” ທີ່ໃຊ້ຄວາມຮຸນແຮງ ແລະໃຫ້ການຍົກເວັ້ນໃຫ້ແກ່ບັນດາຄົນທີ່ “ມີຄວາມຕ້ອງການໃຊ້ມັນຢ່າງທີ່ຖືກຕ້ອງ.” ທ່ານນາງແລມກ່າວວ່າ ທ່ານນາງຈະໄປຫາສະພາຕາມຫຼັງ ເພື່ອໃຫ້ໄດ້ຮັບເອົາການສະໜັບສະໜຸນໂດຍຝ່າຍນິຕິບັນຍັດຕໍ່ລະບຽບການດັ່ງກ່າວນີ້.
ພວກປະທ້ວງໃສ່ໜ້າກາກຫຼາຍພັນຄົນ ໄດ້ພາກັນຮ້ອງໂຮໃຫ້ມີປະຊາທິປະໄຕຫຼາຍຂຶ້ນ ໃນຂະນະທີ່ເຂົາເຈົ້າພາກັນເດີນຂະບວນຢູ່ໃນເຂດທຸລະກິດ ກ່ອນທ່ານນາງແລມໄດ້ກ່າວ. ເຂົາເຈົ້າໄດ້ຮ້ອງອອກມາວ່າ “ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າຕ້ອງການໃສ່ໜ້າກາກ” ແລະ “ການໃສ່ໜ້າກາກບໍ່ແມ່ນການກະທຳຄວາມຜິດ” ໃນຂະນະທີ່ລົດຫຼາຍໆຄັນຕິດຄ້າງຢູ່ການສັນຈອນເນື່ອງຈາກການເດີນປະທ້ວງ ບີບແກໃຫ້ການສະໜັບສະໜູນ.
ຜູ້ປະທ້ວງຄົນນຶ່ງ ໄດ້ໃຫ້ຊື້ນ້ອຍຂອງວ່າ ຫລູຍ ກ່າວຕໍ່ການລາຍງານສົດທາງອອນລາວ່າ “ເຂົາເຈົ້າຈະຈັບ 100,000 ຄົນບໍ່ຢູ່ຕາມຖະໜົນຫົນທາງ? ລັດຖະບານພະຍາຍາມທີ່ຈະຂົ່ມຂູ່ພວກເຮົາ ແຕ່ວ່າໃນເວລານີ້ ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າຄິດວ່າຄົນຈະບໍ່ພາກັນຢ້ານ.”
ຢູ່ໃກ້ກັບເຂດຊອບປິ້ງ Causeway Bay ຝູງຊົນຫຼວງຫຼາຍ ຍັງໄດ້ພາກັນຢູ່ຕາມຖະໜົນຫົນທາງເພື່ອປະທ້ວງການຫ້າມໃສ່ໜ້າກາກ. ການເຕົ້າໂຮມທີ່ນ້ອຍກວ່າຍັງໄດ້ຈັດຂຶ້ນຢູ່ໃນເຂດອື່ນໆ.
Hong Kong leader bans masks in hardening stance on protests
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam banned protesters from wearing masks in a hardening of the government's stance on the territory's most disruptive crisis since it reverted to Chinese rule in 1997
HONG KONG (AP)
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam banned protesters from wearing masks in a hardening of the government's stance on the territory's most disruptive crisis since it reverted to Chinese rule in 1997.
Lam announced the ban at an afternoon news conference where she decried the escalation of violence recently after four months of anti-government demonstrations. The mask ban takes effect Saturday and applies to people at ``illegal" gatherings who use violence and exempts those who wear masks for ``legitimate need." Lam said she would go to the legislature later to get legal backing for the rule.
Thousands of masked protesters chanted slogans calling for greater democracy as they marched in the city's business district before Lam spoke. They chanted "I want to wear face masks" and "Wearing mask is not a crime" as many cars, stuck in traffic due to the march, honked in support.
"Will they arrest 100,000 people on the street? The government is trying to intimidate us but at this moment, I don't think the people will be scared," one protester, who gave his surname as Lui, told an online live broadcast.
At the nearby Causeway Bay shopping area, a huge crowd also occupied streets to protest the mask ban. Smaller rallies were also held in several other areas.
Analysts warned the use of the Emergency Ordinance for the first time in over half a decade set a dangerous precedent. The law, a relic of British rule enacted in 1922 to quell a seamens strike and last used to crush riots in 1967, gives broad powers to the city's chief executive to implement regulations in an emergency.
"Even though the mask ban is just a small move under the Emergency Ordinance, it is a dangerous first step. If the anti-mask legislation proves to be ineffective, it could lead the way to more draconian measures such as a curfew and other infringement of civil liberties," said Willy Lam, adjunct professor at the Chinese University.
The ban followed widespread violence in the city Tuesday that marred China's National Day and included a police officer shooting a protester, the first victim of gunfire since the protests started in June over a now-shelved extradition bill. The wounded teenager was charged with attacking police and rioting.
The movement has since snowballed into an anti-China campaign amid anger over what many view as Beijing's interference in Hong Kong's autonomy. More than 1,750 people have been detained so far.
Activists and many legislators have warned the mask ban could be counter-productive, impractical and difficult to enforce in a city bubbling with anger and where tens of thousands have often defied police bans on rallies to take to the street.
"Five demands, not one less," many protesters shouted during Friday's rallies as they held up five fingers.
The government last month withdrew the extradition bill, widely slammed as an example of the erosion of Hong Kong's freedom, but protesters have widened their demands to include direct elections for the city's leaders, an independent inquiry into alleged police brutality, the unconditional release of protesters and not characterizing the protests as riots.