HK braces for weekend unrest
HONG KONG: Hong Kong is bracing for another long weekend of protests following dramatic scenes earlier this week when demonstrators forced the closure of the financial hub’s international airport.
The protests started in early June against a bill easing extraditions to the mainland, and have since morphed into a broader stand against China’s rule over the special administrative region.
They show no signs of abating: China continues to back leader Carrie Lam and protesters are still sticking to their demands, which include her resignation.
The main protest tomorrow will be a test of the movement’s ability to sustain itself, particularly after protesters detained and beat two mainland citizens at the airport — a move that risked hurting their support among the broader public.
The Royal Thai Consulate in Hong Kong has asked Thais travelling to Hong Kong to register for updates on their website (www.consular.go.th/main/th/register or www.thai-consulate.org.hk) or call directly on (+852)6821-1545 or (+66)2-572-8442.
Yesterday, college students held a rally in Hong Kong’s centrally located Chater Garden, the site of previous peaceful gatherings by civil servants and finance professionals, that stretched into the night.
Local teachers plan to hold a morning march today from Chater Garden to Government House, Ms Lam’s official residence. Separate protests in the Hung Hom and To Kwa Wan neighbourhoods of Kowloon are also planned even though police denied permission.
Tomorrow will mark the return of mass protests organised by the Civil Human Rights Front, which called previous historic marches that brought hundreds of thousands of people onto the street. They will gather in Victoria Park, near the city’s financial core.
As people protest in Hong Kong, they will be joined by demonstrations of support across the world, from San Francisco’s Embarcadero Plaza to London’s Trafalgar Square and cities throughout Canada, Australia, Germany and Taiwan.
HONG KONG: French “spiderman” climber Alain Robert scaled a 68-storey skyscraper in Hong Kong yesterday to hoist a flag symbolising reconciliation between China and the territory as weeks of escalating pro-democracy protests show no signs of abating.
Using his bare hands and without a harness, Robert clambered up Cheung Kong Center located in the central business district and secured a large banner on the building’s exterior.
The sign positioned China’s flag in the left-hand corner with Hong Kong’s flag on the right side. Underneath was a yellow hand shaking a red hand on a white background to signify peace.
Robert’s climb comes as more mass demonstrations are expected through the weekend. China has likened the protests to terrorism and warned it could use force to quell them, as US President Donald Trump urged President Xi Jinping to meet with protesters to defuse weeks of tension.
It was the third time Robert climbed the building, which is owned by Cheung Kong Holdings.
He was banned from climbing buildings in the former British colony for a year last August. His ban ended two weeks ago.
Robert was arrested after the climb and taken to a nearby police station.
More than 700 people have been arrested since the protests began in June, and tear gas has frequently been used by police in attempts to disperse protests across the city.