Wounds of Hong Kong

The protest in Hong Kong has no sign of dying down after months of violent fight. Began as an objection to the Extradition Bill to China, it has evolved to a comprehensive protest

over the future of this city. Police brutality does not only affect the protesters, but every ordinary Hong Kong citizen. Some of them were beaten by police baton, resulted in bone fracture. Some were shot by bullets. Some suffered from sexual harassment. Some have to face post-traumatic stress disorder. Although the abuse of power by the police is recorded by live video, till now no police officer was investigated, suspended nor punished. "The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting." Scar and bruise may fade, but we have to remember how they get through. Here are the wounds of the casualties.

© Chung Ming Ko - Image from the Wounds of Hong Kong photography project
i

Ah Yan (alias), the first aider hit by a tear gas canister while he was on duty in Causeway Bay on 2/11/2019, suffered from third-degree burns. His fingers were also burnt when he tried to remove the canister between his back and backpack. After a 4-hour skin grafting operation, he has to dress the wound everyday, which is quite a torture. Ah Yan has been abandoned by his pro-government family after the injury. He has moved to the school dormitory.

© Chung Ming Ko - Image from the Wounds of Hong Kong photography project
i

Ah Yan (alias), the first aider hit by a tear gas canister while he was on duty in Causeway Bay on 2/11/2019, suffered from third-degree burns. His fingers were also burnt when he tried to remove the canister between his back and backpack. After a 4-hour skin grafting operation, he has to dress the wound everyday, which is quite a torture. Ah Yan has been abandoned by his pro-government family after the injury. He has moved to the school dormitory.

© Chung Ming Ko - Image from the Wounds of Hong Kong photography project
i

A (alias), a protestor in his fifties, whose skin was eroded by pepper spray on 1/10/2019 in the clash in Tuen Mun. The wound was swollen and purulent for months after the injury. The police refuses to declare the ingredients of pepper spray, 'blue water' and tear gas, thorough cure of chemical assault becomes impossible.

© Chung Ming Ko - Image from the Wounds of Hong Kong photography project
i

Andrew Chiu, a district councillor, whose left ear were bitten off by a mandarin speaking man on 3/11/2019 outside Cityplaza mall in Taikoo. The attacker had slashed several other people with a knife. Chiu was trying to stop him. Right before that riot police stormed the shopping mall to disperse the sit-in protests. Reconstruction of Chiu's ear failed due to necrosis.

© Chung Ming Ko - Image from the Wounds of Hong Kong photography project
i

K (alias), a 22-year-old worker in catering industry, was chased and beaten by the police outside Prince Edward station while he was paying homage to the sufferers of the 831 incident (in which riot police rushed into the subway carriage and attacked the passengers indiscriminately ). His left arm is permanently disable after a traffic accident in childhood. So he tried to protect his head with his right arm. The phalanx of his right middle finger was broken. His work competencies was seriously affected.

© Chung Ming Ko - Image from the Wounds of Hong Kong photography project
i

Raymond Yeung, a school teacher, was hit in his right eye with a police projectile on 12/6/2019 while he was participating a lawful rally at Tamar. After having all possible medical treatment, less than 30% of his vision remains.

© Chung Ming Ko - Image from the Wounds of Hong Kong photography project
i

Chu, a 17-year-old DSE student, was hit by police baton , while he was in the human chain at Tai Po Station on 7/9/2019 He was seen lying in his own blood on the live video of Cable TV. His head was stitched, the phalanx of his right small finger was broken, fixed with six bone screws. He regrets apologizing to the police after being arrested, as he had done nothing wrong. He will postpone his DSE for one year to tackle post-traumatic stress disorder.

© Chung Ming Ko - Image from the Wounds of Hong Kong photography project
i

Ken (alias), a 25-year-old freelancer, was assaulted after he was arrested at Hung Hom Police Station. While being detained, he was stripped, slapped, punched and kicked by various police officers. One the them even pinched his balls literally. Ken was also denied from sleeping. His head, chest, back, shoulders and limbs were bruised. He was hospitalised for 2 days afterward.

© Chung Ming Ko - Image from the Wounds of Hong Kong photography project
i

Daniel (alias), a year one student of the Education University of Hong Kong, was assaulted by riot police at Prince Edward Station on 31/8/2018. His back, shoulders, arms and legs were bruised. The riot police rushed into subway carriages and assaulted passengers with batons and pepper spray indiscriminately. The station was then closed, denying access to journalists and first aiders. Rumours has it that some people were killed, but the selective release of critical CCTV footage sparkled another political crisis. Daniel is determined to devote himself to the social movement. He joins the students' union after this incident.

© Chung Ming Ko - Image from the Wounds of Hong Kong photography project
i

Sonia Ng, a Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) student who accused the police of sexual violence when she was arrested and detained at Kwai Chung police station on 31/8/2019. She removed her mask in front of the university’s vice-chancellor at a public forum on the campus.

Latest Projects

  • Project

    I saw a tree bearing stones in the place of apples and pears

  • Project

    try, take time

  • Project

    BUY NOTHING

  • Project

    Unimportant Message

  • Project

    The Darker the Night, the Brighter the Stars

  • Project

    Like the Waves Appear and Disappear and Appear Again

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Stay in the loop


We will send you weekly news on contemporary photography. You can change your mind at any time. We will treat your data with respect. For more information please visit our privacy policy. By ticking here, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with them. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.