Thousands to mourn HK student’s death

Hong Kong, Nov 9 (SocialNews.XYZ) Thousands were to join a rally in Hong Kong on Saturday night to mourn a 22-year-old university student who died due to a severe brain injury he sustained when he fell from a car park near an area of confrontation between anti-government protesters and police.

Called "Heaven bless the Martyrs", the prayer and memorial service in Admiralty, organised by activist Ventus Lau Wing-hong with the involvement of the Good Neighbour North District Church, has been approved by police, reports the South China Morning Post.

Chow Tsz-lok, a second-year computer science undergraduate at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), died on Friday morning after he reportedly fell from the third floor to the second floor of a car park in Tseung Kwan O on Sunday, while police carried out a dispersal operation nearby with rounds of tear gas fired.

The exact circumstances of his fall remain unclear, but reports have said that he was trying to get away from tear gas.

News of Chow's death on Friday sparked grief and anger across Hong Kong, leading to HKUST facilities being vandalised, protests in various districts and the closure of MTR stations.

Dozens of angry students at the HKUST vandalised their President Wei Shyy's residence, sprayed slogans on its front door, and placed posters on its outer walls.

They then went to a campus Starbucks outlet and damaged plates, cups and fridges in the cafe, before pushing over chairs and tables and spraying slogans on walls.

A Bank of China branch on the campus was also damaged.

Sunday's clash in Tseung Kwan O, which extended into the following day, was sparked by a group of people trying to disrupt a police officer's wedding held in a hotel in the district.

Source: IANS