Who is to blame for human rights abuses in Hong Kong?
While rioters continuously wreaked havoc in Hong Kong in their trampling on the rule of law and damaging other people's right to live, some U.S. politicians are holding a candle to the devil and shamefully glorifying themselves to "stand with Hong Kong."
HONG KONG, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Senate on Wednesday again sent a wrong message to rioters in Hong Kong by the passage of the so-called Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019 in its blatant meddling in Hong Kong unrest and interference into China's internal affairs.
Turning a blind eye to what's happening in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), the act is widely condemned in HKSAR and other parts of China, but hailed by rioters who are addicted to escalating violence and rampant crimes that violate human rights and freedom.
To U.S. politicians like Nancy Pelosi and Marco Rubio, rioters' horrendous crimes in Hong Kong are just "beautiful sight to behold", rather than the death and injuries of innocent residents, vandalism on targeted shops and restaurant, and massive chaos in the society.
But the truth about Hong Kong's current unrest is far uglier than what normal people can imagine, as an increasing number of ordinary residents fell victim of escalating violence amid the prolonged unrest since June.
Here are what rioters have done in Hong Kong over the past five months, particularly in November.
-- On Nov. 6, Junius Ho, a member of the HKSAR Legislative Council, was stabbed in his chest by a male near Richland Garden, Tuen Mun, during his district council re-election campaign. Two of Ho's colleagues sustained injuries in hands and arms.
Junius Ho (1st L), a member of the HKSAR Legislative Council, speaks at his street stand for election campaign in Hong Kong on Nov. 10, 2019. Ho was attacked and stabbed during campaigning days ago. (Xinhua/Zhu Xiang)
-- On Nov. 11, a mob of rioters beat a 57-year-old resident surnamed Lee who opposed their vandalism in Ma On Shan area in Hong Kong's New Territories. Then they poured petrol over his body and set him on fire. Lee suffered from burns on 60 percent of his body and doctors said he may not make it given his age and traumatic condition.
Rioters set fire to paralyze traffic in Sai Wan Ho in Hong Kong on Nov. 11, 2019. (Xinhua)
-- On Nov. 13, black-clad rioters hurled bricks at residents who tried to clear the roadblocks mobsters built near North District Town Hall in Sheung Shui, killing a 70-year-old sanitation worker surnamed Lo.
Residents mourn the death of a senior sanitation worker killed by rioters in Sheung Shui of Hong Kong, Nov. 15, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Zhen)
-- Since Nov. 11, several college campuses have been occupied by rioters who turned campuses into battlefields and launched assaults on police officers using lethal weapons including petrol bombs, bows and arrows, metal balls and bricks.
Rioters set fire on a flyover outside the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong on Nov. 17, 2019. (Xinhua)
-- On Nov. 15, about 400 petrol bombs were thrown by rioters from the Chinese University of Hong Kong to assault Hong Kong police.
Photo taken on Nov. 21, 2019, shows burnt petrol bombs left on the campus of Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) in Hong Kong. (Xinhua)
-- On Nov.17, two police officers were hit by rioters' arrow and metal ball respectively after mobsters occupied the campus of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Rioters set fire outside the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong on Nov. 17, 2019. (Xinhua)
-- On Nov. 19, around 3,900 petrol bombs were seized by police in the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Photo taken on Nov. 21, 2019, shows dangerous goods such as petrol bombs abandoned on the campus of Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) in Hong Kong. (Xinhua)
-- Between Nov. 14 and Nov.18, all schools were once forced to close as rioters paralyzed parts of Hong Kong.
Parents send children to school at Wan Chai in Hong Kong on Nov. 20, 2019. Primary schools, secondary schools and some special schools in Hong Kong resumed classes on Wednesday. (Xinhua)
-- As of Oct. 29, some 145 MTR stations were vandalized and damaged, including 1,600 turnstiles. About 960 ticket machines and customer service centers, 1,100 CCTVs, 50 elevators and other MTR facilities were damaged. Over 300 bus routes were diverted or suspended.
A rioter vandalizes facilities in Sai Wan Ho MTR station in Hong Kong on Nov. 11, 2019. (Xinhua)
-- As of October, at least 500 traffic lights, 46,000 meters of road barriers, 2,900 square meters of pedestrian pavement and over 3,000 rubbish bins, plastic road barriers and water-filled barricade were either destroyed or lost with a loss of at least 10.56 million Hong Kong dollars (1.4 million U.S. dollars).
Rioters set fire on a street in Sai Wan Ho in Hong Kong on Nov. 11, 2019. (Xinhua)
The prolonged and rampant violence has turned Hong Kong into a hostile and dangerous city, scaring away visitors from the mainland and abroad.
While rioters continuously wreaked havoc in Hong Kong in their trampling on the rule of law and damaging other people's right to live, some U.S. politicians are holding a candle to the devil and shamefully glorifying themselves to "stand with Hong Kong."
If the selectively blind U.S. politicians do care about the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, they should stand with the majority of people in Hong Kong and condemn rioters' brutality, rather than supporting criminals financially and rhetorically.
Hong Kong is part of China, and Hong Kong affairs are China's internal affairs. The most pressing task for Hong Kong now is to stop violence, end the chaos and restore order.
Seeking to contain China's peaceful development in such an insidious way won't help the United States to win any respect from the Chinese people in the mainland and in HKSAR.
Though rioters in Hong Kong see the U.S. act as the last straw for their violence, it proves to be an illusion. Truth will come to light and justice always prevails. Enditem
(Video reporters: Wang Chao, Qiu Bo, Zhao Xu ; Video editor: Zhu Cong)
