Hong Kong's Riot Gear!

Thought Fiji may like to see our new and seldom-used riot gear in these photos I took during our WTO Riots right here in Wan Chai two years ago.


Cool, huh!

I really should post my letters about our adventures during these riots. All sorts of interesting stuff happened over that week of street-fighting with the Koreans through the streets of Wan Chai. In fact, it really wasn't clever of our Fijian supporters to bring "Your Typical Friday Night at the Metropole Hotel" into Wan Chai because this is exactly where the Riot Squad had a full week of perfecting their technique of handling rioters. This same Riot Squad! These same streets! Gosh, those police guys must have laughed that they just had to use the same game plan and techniques!

Oh, and here's a photo that's really cute. The old Korean guy asking for Hong Kong Police to draw "first blood". Have a look; he's bowing his head and saying "Hit me! Hit me!" because the Koreans didn't want to be the first to hurt anyone. And the police are saying "No! Go away! You have to be the ones in the wrong!" and for several days it turned into this really cute riot that simply consisted of chasing each other through the streets, but no one actually attacking each other.

Wait a sec. I could have a photo of one of these early confrontations.

I think this is one where the two groups met and the Koreans ran away:

And here's one where they got cornered and just lay down refusing to fight, and then they got really silly with it.

Playing "Dying Beetles"

Oh, and all these lovely Cantonese grandmas bringing the rioters soup because they were worried they hadn't eaten for days, so, really, given all the goodwill on both sides, how could things turn really nasty.

Fun times, I tell you!