Major road tunnel reopens in Hong Kong amid protests

HONG KONG (AP) — A major tunnel in Hong Kong reopened yesterday as a weeklong police siege of a nearby university appeared to be winding down, closing one of the more violent chapters in the long-running anti-government protests in the Chinese territory.

The Cross-Harbor Tunnel, which links Hong Kong Island to the rest of the city, had been closed for two weeks after protesters blocked the approach with debris and set the toll booths on fire as they clashed with police.

Search teams sweeping the Hong Kong Polytechnic campus for a second straight day found no evidence of any protesters still holding out, said university vice president Miranda Lou. On Tuesday, one person was found — a young woman in weak condition.

Lou told reporters that university officials would let the police decide if they want to enter the campus to investigate but hopes for an end to the siege so a cleanup operation can begin. Police had no immediate comment.

The campus is littered with piles of garbage, and police said there are also stockpiles of dangerous materials, including explosives.

Calls for police to retreat from the campus have escalated after the prodemocracy camp won a stunning victory in local elections Sunday, delivering a stinging rebuke to city leader Carrie Lam’s tough line on the protests, which are in their sixth month.

Lam offered no concessions, saying only that she would accelerate dialogue and identify ways to address societal grievances.