New Express News (Wenyao): The protests of anti-World Trade activists from South Korea escalated yesterday, and a large-scale fierce conflict broke out with the dutiful Hong Kong police. The police repeatedly used pepper ball launchers, high-pressure water guns and tear gas to drive away the demonstrators. The streets near the Wanchai World Trade Fair are like battlefields. By 1:00 this morning, the two sides were still in a confrontation. At least 50 people were injured in the conflict, including five Hong Kong police officers.

The Hong Kong police repeatedly appealed yesterday that, in view of the emergency, Hong Kong residents and tourists should try not to go to the area of the Wanchai North Convention and Exhibition Center this weekend, and should not stand around when something happens. The local TV stations and radio stations in Hong Kong broadcast the news of the scene of the conflict at the first time.

The fiercest conflict broke out in Locke Road

The closing World Trade Ministerial Conference entered the fifth day yesterday, and the anti-World Trade demonstrators' actions escalated in the afternoon, once attempting to break the blockade line set up by the police opposite the Huamao Building in Wanchai and enter the World Trade Conference. The police immediately sent experts who understood Korean to communicate with the demonstrators and called on them to calm down. The two sides faced off and the atmosphere was tense.

In Locke Road, hundreds of demonstrators carried one to break through the police line. The two sides had the most intense conflict. A large number of Hong Kong citizens gathered around the scene. The scene was very chaotic. To prevent accidents, the police banned vehicles from passing in Wanchai, and some subway exits were closed immediately. After that, the demonstrators pushed down the iron fence and attacked the police with wooden sticks. The police began to fight back with batons and fired pepper balls to disperse the demonstrators. However, the defense line was finally broken and the demonstrators continued to advance.

The police officers were badly targeted

At about 4 p.m., some demonstrators rushed out of the demonstration area, and police officers sent pepper spray again. Some police officers became the target of attack because they were standing high and commanding the scene. The whole road was like a battlefield. The police fired pepper balls many times, but failed to control the scene. Some riot shields were also taken away by the demonstrators and became the attack weapons of the Korean demonstrators. The demonstrators also threw debris at the police. After more than 20 minutes of entanglement between the two sides, the firefighters sprayed the demonstrators with high-pressure water guns for the first time at 4:40 p.m., but they were still unable to stop the demonstrators.

The demonstrators tried to overthrow the police car

In the evening, a group of demonstrators suddenly rushed to Du Laozhi during the parade. Due to the insufficient number of police officers at the scene, there was neither array nor full equipment. The situation was very chaotic. The reserve police officers rushed to the scene immediately with long guns. The police set up two police cars as the last line of defense at Du Laozhi Road. During the conflict, the demonstrators tried to overthrow the police car. The police kept beating back the demonstrators with batons, and fired tear gas for the first time with pepper balls, but the demonstrators did not disperse.

The police announced that the scene would be cleared at any time

Last night, the demonstrators gathered at the section of Gloucester Road near Wanchai, one of the main traffic channels on Hong Kong Island. The police closed this section of the road and repeatedly released information through the media. They will take clearance action at any time, call on the public not to go to the above area, and notify the family members who are there to leave. Up to this morning, more than 900 demonstrators and the police were still in confrontation.

Li Mingkui, Chief of the Hong Kong Police Force, stressed last night that the Hong Kong police have the ability and determination to control the conflict and do not need to turn to the People's Liberation Army in Hong Kong for the time being.