Civic Party activist Ken Tsang Kin-chiu was jailed for five weeks by Kowloon City Court yesterday for splashing an unknown liquid down on police officers from a flyover at Lung Wo Road during the Occupy Central protest. The ruling greatly deflates the arrogance of opposition radicals who have made an enemy of the police at every turn in recent years, and moreover manifests the determination and courage of the Judiciary of the Hong Kong SAR to safeguard the rule of law.
The concerned case happened in October 2014. There have been different views on this case. Quite many citizens held it that Ken Tsang's behaviour of splashing liquid on police officers was very evil, hence if the court dealt with it leniently, police morale would be severely damaged and radicals' actions against police officers in future would become even more aggressive, which would be unfavourable for social order. But some other people estimated that the court would not convict and jail Ken Tsang, because this would be accused of "suppressing democracy" and the judge would have to bear the pressure of being attacked by the opposition and trouble-making media.
The court ruling yesterday proves that the Judiciary and its personnel are devoted to their duties, administer justice fairly and are fearless of any pressure. In handing down his sentence, Principal Magistrate Peter Law Tak-chuen pointed out that Ken Tsang's behaviour on that day was a grave insult and provocation to police officers, so he must be blamed for such an unrestrained bahviour of turning police officers into his own "punching bag". The police officers were executing their duties at that time as ordered by their superiority, and the court has the responsibility to protect police officers who are executing their duties.
As a matter of fact, as Principal Magistrate Peter Law Tak-chuen pointed out at court yesterday, Ken Tsang's crime "absolutely is not light" in nature. No doubt, splashing urine or some unknown foul- smelling liquid "won't kill people", but the message delivered by such behaviour is rather serious.
In recent years, the opposition has created trouble at every turn and become fond of launching assaults. A "symbol" of this is attacking police officers executing their duties in particular. They have not only regarded police officers' dissuasions and warnings as nothing and moved on to seize police barriers and build up their own "road blockages", but during the law-breaking Occupy Central and the Monk Kok Riot even used sharpened sticks, iron bars and home-made shields as weapons to attack police officers on duty, hurling abuses and jabbing their fingers at police officers from beginning to end. The trouble-making Apple Daily has also deliberately published pictures showing police officers being insulted or falling down on the ground, so as to damage the police's morale and image.
In order to mess up Hong Kong, the rule of law must be messed up first. In order to mess up the rule of law, the authority and dignity of police enforcing the law must be denied and defied first. Ken Tsang pouring down a whole pail of urine down on police officers from a flyover marks the "pinnacle" of such behaviour of wantonly insulting and provoking law enforcers. Its nature is very serious and absolutely unacceptable.
Not long ago, Chairman Zhang Dejiang of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) paid an inspection trip to Hong Kong. In his keynote speech at the banquet in honour of him hosted by the SAR Government, he once pointed out that the rule of law is a corner stone for social stability in Hong Kong, and the bottom line for freedom. Once the corner stone is shaken, the bottom line withdrawn, how could prosperity and stability in the SAR possibly be maintained?
The chairman also solemnly pointed out: everyone is equal before the law, no one can place himself above the law, and no law breaker can escape legal punishment with any excuse. It is hoped that the SAR Government and Judiciary truly fulfill their sacred duty of safeguarding the rule of law to strictly enforce the law and fairly administer justice. Absolutely no law-breaking behaviour should be tolerated and connived. All social sectors should also severely condemn any behaviour challenging the bottom line of the rule of law.
Ken Tsang is convicted and given imprisonment for assaulting police officers and resisting arrest. The law breaker gets his due punishment, and the rule of law is manifested. This is to the immense satisfaction of the people! It also convincingly shows the chairman's words about the administration of justice are for the betterment of Hong Kong and in accord with overall interests of citizens. 31 May 2016
