Out of the box Rule of the mob
When the protesters first came out into the streets to protest against the Extradition bill, I accept their right to lodge a protest although my personal view is that the bill was reasonable and necessary.

When the protesters started to make other demands beyond the bill, I held a strong opinion against their actions. I consider it to be rule by the mob. It will lead to chaos and the breakdown of law and order and the destruction of society.

The sympathisers of the protesters blamed the Hong Kong government for not negotiating with the protesters at an early stage. i do not agree with this point of view. In a protest of this nature, there are no leaders that are accepted by the mob, 

Even if the government did talk to the "leaders", there is no assurance that the decisions of these leaders will be accepted by the protesters or, to use a stronger term, the mob.

The HK government did agree with some of the demands, but the protesters issued more demands, including unreasonable ones.

There is strong suspicion that the protesters were funded by foreign parties. I believe this to be the case. The funders might have the noble objective of promoting democracy, or they might have a malicious motive of causing chaos and problem for the central government in Beijing. How is "democracy" a noble goal if it is achieved through a breakdown of law and order? 

The HK police had a difficult time to deal with the protesters who have turned into rioters that are bent on destroying public property and attacking the police personnel and bystanders.

In the process, the Police might have used excessive force in some isolated cases, and there might be video evidence to the effect, but I considered that it was unavoidable and unfortunate. If they were under constant threat of personal injury and fatality, they have the right to defend themselves, in carrying out their duty to preserve law and order.

There was so suspicion that the people in authority had paid gangsters to attack the protesters. We do not know for sure who were the parties that actually made the payment. Even if the suspicion was true, I do not find the measure to be unacceptable. It was necessary to stop the rioters.  This could be done by bringing in the tanks, with harsher consequences, or through covert means to instill the fear in the rioters that they could also be hurt.

I have seen many posts in the social media in Singapore in support of the protesters and rioters. I do not join them. I have stated at an early stage that the protesters had gone too far in their demand and that they cannot be allowed to conduct rule by the mob.

Tan Kin Lian

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