MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th November, 2019) About 70 injured students trapped at the besieged Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) surrendered on their own on Monday evening, the Apple Daily reported.
Hundreds of student protesters became trapped inside PolyU after police closed all university exits following violent clashes, which entailed demonstrators hurling petrol bombs, bamboo poles and bricks, and shooting arrows at police officers.
According to the Hong-Kong-based newspaper, paramedic teams were allowed to enter PolyU on Monday afternoon to treat injured students. As of 9 p.m. (13:00 GMT), some 70 people have surrendered.
Jasper Tsang, former president of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, said in an interview streamed by the RTHK broadcaster that he had accompanied about 100 young people, who understood that they would be arrested by the police, to leave the PolyU campus.
Tsang stressed that those who surrendered were not admitting to be guilty of rioting, as his team only wanted to guarantee their safety and make sure they would be treated properly. Those who had fever or foot injuries would be sent to hospitals for treatment, he added.
The police reserve the right to pursue charges against protesting minors (age 18 and younger) in the future. Those age 18 or older will be arrested immediately.
About half of those who left with Tsang were minors.
During a press briefing earlier on Monday, John Lee, the secretary of security in Hong Kong, said that everyone trapped inside PolyU would be arrested for taking part in rioting. He also called on them to leave the university peacefully and follow the instructions of the police.
The massive protests began in Hong Kong in early June over a controversial extradition bill, which was officially withdrawn in October. Frustrated with the local authorities' heavy-handed responses to the protests, the demonstrators expanded their demands to add an independent investigation into alleged police brutality and greater civil liberties, including universal suffrage, while calling for the resignation of Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam.
Beijing has repeatedly stated that the situation in Hong Kong is a result of foreign interference in China's domestic affairs and expressed full support for the actions of the local authorities.
