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Tensions Escalate in Hong Kong as Protesters Blame Police

Suzanne Sataline

   HONG KONG - Residents of Hong Kong, already tense after weeks of
   protests against the city's leader and police, were deeply shaken after
   masked assailants wearing white T-shirts savagely beat people dressed
   in black, the color of this summer's democracy movement.

   The attackers descended late Sunday on an MTR rail station in the far
   northern district of Yuen Long, along the border with mainland China.
   Victims and rail riders uploaded dozens of videos that showed people
   bloodied and dazed.

   One witness complained that police arrived after a half hour and
   allegedly left after 15 minutes.

   Six were arrested, as police searched for the people responsible for
   the beatings of 45 people late Sunday night. The targeted victims
   included a lawmaker, journalists, and passersby. Businesses were so
   worried about further tensions that shops and malls remained closed.

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