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China-Japan-Koreas
Hong Kong police draw guns, use water cannon in clashes
2019-08-26
[Al Jazeera] Hong Kong police have used water cannon for the first time and at least one officer fired his sidearm during pitched battles with protesters, one of the most violent nights in three months of pro-democracy rallies that have rocked the city.

Thousands of protesters on Sunday poured onto the streets of the Tsuen Wan neighbourhood, where they clashed with police, who fired tear gas and eventually turned to two vehicles armed with water cannon to disperse the demonstrators, who gathered despite steady rains.

At least one petrol bomb was thrown by protesters, some of whom took off down narrow side streets where the water cannon, which had not been used in years of anti-government protests, could not follow.

In one instance, several coppers drew their sidearms, an AFP news agency news hound at the scene said.

"According to my understanding, just now a gunshot was fired by a colleague," Superintendent Leung Kwok Win told the press on Sunday.

"My initial understanding was that it was a uniformed policeman who fired his gun."

It was unclear where the shot was aimed, but public broadcaster RTHK said one of its news hounds saw a uniformed officer fire a shot into the sky.

Some dug up bricks from the pavement and wheeled them away to use as ammunition, others sprayed detergent on the road to make it slippery for the lines of police.

The Chinese-ruled city's MTR rail operator suspended some services to try to prevent people from gathering.

The demonstration continued despite the arrest of 29 people after overnight festivities that saw authorities use tear gas to disperse the crowd.
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Posted by:Fred

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