Police officers put lives on line to guard HK's law and order

Police Sergeant Cheung Gor (not his real name) says he never gave much thought to dangers of the job, until a rioter — a secondary student wielding a box cutter — dealt him a potentially life-threatening wound. Cheung Gor was stabbed in the neck from behind.

"I had never thought about the risks of my work, but in the hospital when I saw my wife, I realized what my wife would suffer if I left her and our kids behind," Cheung Gor, the 25-year veteran of the force, told China Daily in an interview.

It was Oct 13. Cheung was leading a team of officers to deal with a case of criminal damage to property at the Kwun Tong MTR station, where they were confronted by black-clad protesters.

As the youth wielded the box cutter, Cheung felt a sudden pain in his neck, but swept up in the heat of the moment, he turned to assist fellow officers to arrest the attacker, who was flailing wildly.

Only later, "I realized how severe the injury was when I saw much blood on my uniform. My colleagues' expressions showed fear," Cheung Gor recalled.

In the hospital, doctors found nerves and a vocal cord on Cheung Gor's right side of neck were severed. After four hours of surgery, Cheung Gor was taken to intensive care.

Cheung Gor still feels he came out lucky. The cut nearly reached his aorta. "If the artery had been cut, the results would have been unimaginable."

In his worst days of recovery, Cheung Gor had to hold his head in his hands when he got out of bed. His neck couldn't bear the weight.

That wasn't the end of Cheung Gor's ordeal. He and his family were doxxed by the radicals. Threatening letters were sent to his home.

When it came to explaining his injuries to his two kids, both under 10, Cheung Gor didn't know what to say. His main concern was his family's safety. He avoided accompanying his kids to go to school. There were no family hangouts for a long time after that. He was most afraid of exposing his kids to greater danger.

"Children may not understand what happened, but I know my wife is under great pressure," Cheung Gor said. He said he felt sorry for the stress on his family, especially for his wife who is now fearful for his health and safety.

Cheung Gor has a 5-centimeter-long scar on his neck. "I often cough. My throat becomes sensitive. Bones stretching from my right ear to my neck often go numb," he said, adding he can't raise his voice.

Cheung Gor said his ordeal didn't and won't diminish his determination to be a policeman. As far as he sees it, the police did the right thing — attempting to restore law and order, to a city that had been plunged into chaos.

Cheung Gor stresses his commitment — saying criminal acts, especially those that threaten the rule of law cannot be tolerated.

The rioter attacking Cheung Gor was an 18-year-old. He was charged with attempted murder.

The city has seen about 9,000 protest-related arrests since last June. Forty percent of those apprehended were students, according to Hong Kong police records.

On that note, Cheung Gor had a message for the city's young people: Don't do something for which the consequences may be severe. "Is it really necessary and worthy to spend all their precious time in political turmoil?" He hopes young people give a second thought before joining violent protests.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Cheung Gor said he is dismayed to see that the city is being ruined by violence and political chaos.

Then, there's Sam, a media liaison team officer of Hong Kong police — shot in the leg by an arrow. That happened during some of the darkest hours of last year's troubles at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

He gave only his first name , "Sam", when he sat down to talk to China Daily. Reflecting on that incident and the entire maelstrom of discord, he said he felt "disappointed" and "heartbroken" that so many people support using violence to achieve their political aims.

He thinks Hong Kong society needs to condemn the violence and those who have carried it out. If society doesn't do so, there will be consequences affecting the quality of life and Hong Kong's future prosperity.

"Many protesters romanticize violence. This sends an unhealthy and misleading message to young people," Sam said.

On the night he was shot, Sam had worked at PolyU for more than 30 consecutive hours. The arrow flew about 100 meters, from behind the radicals' barriers, before slicing into Sam's left leg. The arrow went in 9 centimeters. "I hadn't expected the arrow could penetrate into the flesh from such a distance," he said.

"I was frightened at the moment, worried that the injury would permanently affect my running and walking," Sam said. He went through five months of physiotherapy before he made a full recovery.

He hopes people think hard about what's going on and has gone on — and they may come to a rational conclusion that working together, as a community, is the only way to get Hong Kong back on track.