Tse: Rumors of police collusion are of little logic

The vice-head of the city's police watchdog debunked rumors that have emerged from the prolonged social unrest since June, including the often-cited multiple deaths of protesters at the Prince Edward MTR station on Aug 31, and the allegation of police collusion in the Yuen Long incident of July 21.

Tony Tse Wai-chuen, vice-chairman of the Independent Police Complaints Council, found the rumors of "little logic" and said the rumors have misled people, leading to "a wrong conclusion".

"If people had died, their families and friends would have come out. However, the protesters could not provide any evidence, not even the names, sex, age, etc, of the people 'killed'. In a busy city like Hong Kong, it would be very difficult to cover up deaths in the station as it would need the collusion of many departments and institutions," said Tse, who also is a member of the Legislative Council.

Tse was responding to rumors that police murdered six people during the Aug 31 incident, which the police watchdog report found to be an "extraordinary claim" as no evidence whatsoever was provided. The report noted that passengers were at the scene, yet none of them reported people being killed or injured so seriously that they would die.

Also unfounded is the allegation that police colluded with triads, which stemmed from a brief exchange of words between a police officer and a man wearing a white T-shirt, and the officer's patting the man's shoulder, he said.

Tse hopes the report will set the truth straight, and provide the facts to enable members of the public to judge the accusations in a more rational and informed manner.

In the face of a slew of fake information surrounding the often-violent protests, Tse said providing a fact-based account of the prolonged protests is very important.

"We have to spend lots of time to look into fact or the material information we gather to ensure this information and their sources," Tse said.

Among the 52 recommendations the watchdog made to the city's law enforcement, it has advised police to enhance communications with the public to avoid unnecessary, unfounded or malicious speculation and rumors. These suggestions include measures to enhance the transparency of the police's work and its publicity and public education on its procedures and practices to ease public concerns and quash speculation and rumors.