Firebomb protest in Hong Kong

Injured in Hong Hong's most delicate dispute

A group of mainland Chinese demanding the right to live in Hong Kong have firebombed the Immigration Department headquarters, injuring about 40 people.

Many of the protesters set themselves alight; 16 immigration department employees were also hurt, three seriously.

We are shocked and angry

Security Secretary Regina Ip

Another 20 people also suffered burns, and several were reportedly carried from the building in stretchers.

An Immigration Department spokesman, Ambrose Lee, said the same group of protesters had made frequent visits to the offices in the past three months, demanding the right to remain in Hong Kong.

Residency dispute

He said that on Wednesday afternoon, when they were asked to leave, the protesters produced containers of flammable liquid and set fire to it, dousing immigration officers.

The authorities said they will not give in to the protesters

Hong Kong's Security Secretary, Regina Ip, said she was "shocked and angered by this irrational and violent action" and that the government would not cave in to pressure over residency claims.

Although Hong Kong reverted to Chinese rule three years ago, people from mainland China are kept out by strict border controls.

BBC Hong Kong correspondent Damien Grammaticas says the issue of who has the right to live in the territory has proved one of the most difficult to solve.

A better life

The Hong Kong government has fought hard to prevent the tiny capitalist haven from being swamped by an influx of mainlanders seeking a better life.

The protesters' claim to residency stems from a ruling last year by Hong Kong's highest court which granted residency to any person with a parent from Hong Kong.

But in a controversial move, the Beijing government later reinterpreted the law and overturned the ruling, after the Hong Kong government warned that it could lead to 1.6 million immigrants joining the existing population of under 7 million.