Hong Kong Police Prepare Trucks With Water Cannons Amid Massive Protests In City - Reports

HONG KONG (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th August, 2019) The police of Hong Kong have prepared trucks equipped with water cannons amid massive waves of protests that have been sweeping the international financial hub for months now, media reported on Sunday.

At least three anti-riot vehicles with water cannons are currently on standby in a secret area on Hong Kong Island, a police source told the South China Morning Post.

Water cannon is a device that shoots a stream of water with high velocity. It is often deployed during protests as a means of dispersing the crowds of demonstrators.

However, it can inflict serious injuries.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators are marching in the center of Hong Kong on Sunday despite a police ban and rainy weather.

Participants of the rally organized by the opposition Civil Human Rights Front demand fully abandoning the law on extradition. They urge the authorities to stop dubbing the recent mass protests as "riots," release all detained demonstrators, start an independent investigation into police actions during protests and introduce direct general elections.