Burst
Written by: Peng Kaixin and Zheng Qiuling
2019-11-29 18:55
Last updated: 2019-11-29 21:55A new brother, Deng Bingqiang, said at a tea gathering with the media yesterday that he would consider reintroducing wooden bombs to disperse the protesters. Today (29th), Senior Superintendent Wang Weixun of the Police Operations Department responded at a regular press conference that the police had stopped using wooden bombs 16 years ago and replaced them with rubber bombs. The wooden ammunition belongs to a covered riot force. The wooden ammunition is 10.5 inches long and about 1.5 inches in diameter. The purpose is to use pain to disperse the crowd. Information shows that the police used wooden bombs during the June 7 riots, and their power could cause broken feet.
Police clarified on Facebook at night that the wooden bomb was one of the weapons used by the Mobile Forces in riot control more than a decade ago. Later, rubber bombs were introduced to replace the wooden bombs, saying that the police had no plans to use them again.
Civil Rights Watch points out that the Hong Kong police are currently equipped with tear gas, sponge, rubber, and pouch bombs. (Profile picture / Photo by Cai Zhengbang)
Wang Weixun said that 16 years ago, the police replaced rubber bullets with rubber bullets. The length of the wooden bullets was 10.5 inches and the diameter was about 1.5 inches. The purpose is to disperse a group of people. It is not aimed at a target. The police will constantly review the use of ammunition, but maintain the minimum force use guidelines "" Conversation switched to one bullet system to increase the force, while the other bomb force decreased. In fact, the effect of the force is tight. "As for whether the police will use higher levels of force in the future, Wang said," There should be no "It happened," but stressed that the police will constantly review, if the ammunition is suitable, the police will definitely use it.
Clarification at night: no more use of wooden bombs
Police clarified the wooden bomb question on Facebook in the evening, referring to reports that quoted police management that the police were considering using wooden bombs when dispersing protesters. The police said that wooden bombs are about 10 inches long and are ten One of the weapons used by Mobile Forces in riot control many years ago was mainly to disperse people rather than to target individuals. Later, after reviewing ammunition and operational effectiveness, in order to improve operational efficiency, the police introduced rubber bombs to replace wooden bombs. The police said that the police did not plan to use wooden bombs again.
The wooden bullet was fired by a Faderu inch-caliber half-caliber gun (second from left) commonly known as a "big-mouth gun." (Profile picture)
It is understood that wooden bombs were used during the June 7 riots. The principle is to fire wooden bombs on the ground and then use the rebound force to hit the demonstrators' feet. Their lethality is stronger than rubber bullets, which can cause broken feet. In dealing with the demonstrators this time, the police found that the police force lacked some non-lethal weapons that could cause the demonstrators to lose their attack power in the short to medium range.
Checking the information, the police used wooden bombs in many social movements in the past. In the "Sesame Bay Boat People's Riot" in December 1989, the police used 12 wooden bombs; in the 1966 "Star Ferry Raising Price Riot" incident, the police used 62 wooden bombs; in the "June 7 Rebellion", According to information, the police fired a total of 90 wooden bombs from April 6 to 8, and fired a total of 207 wooden bombs from May 11 to 13.
The wooden bullet was fired by a vulgar "big mouth gun"
A retired police officer who participated in the response to the June 7 riots revealed that the wooden bomb was fired by a Faderu inch-caliber half-caliber gun commonly known as a "big-mouth gun", with a range of up to 70 meters, hitting at an angle of about 10 degrees, and firing 7 to On the 8-meter ground, the wooden bomb will spin and fly after it rebounds, and then hit the crowd's feet. The height after the rebound can reach 5 inches above the knee. In the first wave of spinning, the foot will be broken and the foot will break. , More powerful than rubber bullets. He pointed out that since the use of wooden bombs in Ireland in the early 1970s, the Hong Kong government has reviewed and introduced rubber bullets to gradually replace them.
Senior Police Superintendent Wang Weixun of the Police Operations Department pointed out that the police reviews the effectiveness of its ammunition from time to time. If the ammunition is suitable, the police will definitely use it. (Photo by Yu Ruijing)
Civil Rights Watch points out that the police's attitude to seek more lethal weapons in non-live ammunition and low-lethal weapons is also contrary to the UN's "Basic Principles for the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials" and avoids the spirit of using force to cause death or injury to people. .
According to Civil Rights Watch, the Hong Kong police are currently equipped with weapons such as tear gas, sponge bombs, rubber bombs, and pouch bombs, which have injured many people in past demonstrations, including at least three people who have suffered serious eye damage or blindness. There have been two serious incidents in which demonstrators were fired with live ammunition, which are alarming alarms.
Police press conference