Anti-deportation fury hits HK official

Many of the deportees are children

Protesters have confronted Hong Kong's security chief directly to demand an end to the deportation of residents' children to mainland China in the most explosive incident to date.

About 200 furious demonstrators trapped Security Secretary Regina Ip in her car for an hour while police formed a human chain around the vehicle.

By giving warning letters to the parents' representatives... it seems that the government wants to escalate the confrontation

Father Franco Mellor, campaigner for families

Police eventually cleared a way through the crowd outside the territory's parliament, making eight arrests.

Hong Kong began in recent weeks to deport thousands of children of Hong Kong residents deemed illegal immigrants by the courts because they were born in China.

The protesters yelled abuse and shouted at the security chief not to deport their children as she sat inside her BMW ignoring them, the BBC's Damian Grammaticas reports.

The protests have taken on a new desperation

"Give us back the right of abode," they shouted while some lay down in front of the car and others scuffled with policemen.

The police eventually broke up the protest when it moved off into a nearby park, where all exits were sealed by officers using metal barricades.

A police official said eight people, four migrants and four HK residents, had been arrested for obstructing and assaulting the police.

But the demonstrators remained defiant after Wednesday's protest against the security chief.

The deportations

Over 4,000 children of residents must go

At least 10 have now been expelled

The deportees range in age from six-year-olds to adults

One of those deported is a mentally handicapped man

"She's the one who separates our families," said Lin Tao-cheng, one of the parents.

"Since she won't talk to us, we'll do it again until she does."

Father Franco Mellor, a campaigner for the families, suggested the government was seeking to "escalate the confrontation".

Last weekend, Ms Ip announced that all those children denied the right to live with their families would be deported and police would raid the homes of families who refused to surrender them.