A TOP Chinese Central Government official in Hong Kong yesterday strongly condemned the radical separatist forces behind the mob violence in Mong Kok in Hong Kong during the Lunar New Year holiday and sophistries attempting to whitewash the bloody violence.

    Zhang Xiaoming, director of the Liaison Office of the Chinese Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), made the remarks after attending an event to convey Lunar New Year greetings to Hong Kong residents.

    Zhang said he was shocked and deeply saddened by the riot that erupted in Mong Kok on Feb. 9, expressing his sympathy to the police officers and journalists injured in the riot.

    “We strongly condemn those rioters who maliciously committed beatings, smashings, arson and other violent crimes,” Zhang said. “We strongly condemn those radical separatists whose behaviors got more and more violent and even showed terrorist-like tendencies.”

    The director said he believes the SAR government and its law enforcement organs will handle the riot according to law and prosecute the rioters for their criminal offenses.

    Zhang said he believes Hong Kong residents hope for peace, stability and prosperity in Hong Kong, and that all share a consensus that Hong Kong should not be overrun by violence, and therefore Hong Kong residents would not tolerate a tiny minority of radicals destroying Hong Kong’s most valuable environment of rule of law.

    About 300 rioters participated in the riot in the early hours of Feb. 9 in Mong Kok, one of Hong Kong’s busiest shopping areas, following official attempts to remove illegal hawkers from the busy commercial neighborhood during Lunar New Year celebrations.

    The rioters attacked police officers and journalists, smashed police vehicles and committed arson.

    Nearly 90 police officers as well as four journalists were injured during the riot.

    As of Saturday, Hong Kong police have arrested more than 60 suspects and 40 of them have been charged with rioting.

    Also on Saturday, Hong Kong’s Secretary of Security, Lai Tung-kwok, said it is wrong to use the term “Fishball Revolution” to justify the mob violence as the word “fishball” implies hawkers were selling food and the government took enforcement action against them.

    But the fact is, he said, officers were patrolling the area near the location where the unrest started and were not taking any enforcement action. The officers were then surrounded by a group of more than 50 people and that’s why they then asked for police assistance.

    Lai said the Hong Kong government’s position is clear and that this is a case of violence and it must take all possible legal action to apprehend the culprits and bring them to court.

    Tsang Yok-sing, president of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council, said people should not resort to violence even though they are dissatisfied with the government and violence is not acceptable to the great majority of the society.

    Cheung Chi-kong, a member of the council, said he was shocked and upset over the riot, reckoning hawking was not the most controversial issue but an excuse for violence.

    (Xinhua)