LEADER LEAVES TOWN AFTER MORE VIOLENT PROTESTS

HONG Kong’s embattled leader Carrie Lam is leaving for a visit to Japan as the Chinese-ruled city struggles to recover from a night of violence in which tens of thousands took to the streets, with further protests planned.

Ms Lam is to attend Emperor Naruhito’s enthronement ceremony in Tokyo’s imperial palace today and return home in the evening.

Early yesterday, Hong Kong embarked on a massive clean-up after a largely peaceful protest degenerated into violence across districts on the Kowloon peninsula on Sunday, where protesters torched stores and sprayed graffiti on roads, amid skirmishes with police. After two weeks of relative calm in the five-month long crisis, Sunday’s large turnout reflected strong support for the anti-government movement despite police branding the march illegal.

Families and the elderly took to the streets of the Asian financial hub in what began as a peaceful march, many wearing masks or carrying umbrellas to shield their faces, despite the threat of being arrested.

However, a more radical faction of mainly young protesters later clashed with riot police. They targeted banks and other businesses perceived to be linked to China, damaging some store fronts and setting fires on the prime shopping and commercial street of Nathan Rd in the heart of Kowloon.

The events followed an annual policy speech last week by Beijing-backed Ms Lam in which she did not address protesters’ demands, but sought to ease tension with measures aimed at resolving a chronic housing shortage.