HONG KONG: Police say they had no choice but to move in and evict 80 protestors against the planned Hong Kong-Shenzhen rail link staging a sit-in at government headquarters early yesterday morning.

Eighty protestors were carted away after they squatted, intent on spending the night at the facility.

One protestor and three security guards were injured during the police operation. There were no arrests.

More than 200 police officers were deployed in the removal action, which began at midnight and ended at about 2 am.

Fifty-four men and 26 women were carried out of the government office compound in Central. One woman claimed she had suffered injuries after being pushed to the ground. But she refused to be taken to hospital, according to police.

Three security guards were also sent to hospitals for treatment of injuries.

Winnie Chiu Wai-yin, Central District Police Commander said the police officers moved in to remove the demonstrators after repeated warnings to vacate the building were ignored.

The permitted time for the demonstration had expired.

"Because there were no other choices, the police adopted the measure of removing the protestors so the government headquarters could resume operation," Chiu said.

There has been no complaint against police so far, she added.

The sit-in at the government headquarters was part of a rally aimed at urging lawmakers to vote down a funding application for the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link project.

About 1,000 people from 20 organizations had taken part in a march from Causeway Bay to the Central compound earlier on Sunday afternoon. Eighty protestors remained at the entrance to the main wing, demanding a meeting with Chief Secretary for Administration Henry Tang Ying-yen and Secretary for Transport Eva Cheng.

They charged that public consultation on the high-speed rail link was rushed, forcing Choi Yuen Tsuen villagers to vacate their homes to make way for the project. The protestors also charged that the decision affected the safety of some buildings in the Tai Kok Tsui area.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the Transport and Housing Bureau responded that the railway will run through a 26km underground tunnel to protect the environment and minimize the impact on ecology and the public. Choi Yuen Tsuen was chosen as the site to build an emergency rescue station to fulfil fire safety requirements and it's the option that will affect residents the least.

The statement said the project constitutes no threat to the structural safety of buildings in Tai Kok Tsui area.

Stressing the project will enable Hong Kong to tap into the national high-speed railway network and bring enormous social and economic benefits, the bureau said the funding application will be discussed at the Public Works Sub-committee of the Legislative Council Finance Committee tomorrow as planned.

China Daily

(HK Edition 12/01/2009 page1)