HK tense as China says it won’t ‘sit idly by’
HONG KONG: Police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of anti-government protesters in Hong Kong on Sunday ater violent clashes a day earlier, and Beijing said it would not let the situation persist.
The Chinese-controlled city has been rocked by months of protests against a proposed bill to allow people to be extradited to stand trial in mainland China and they have now grown into calls for greater democracy.
A general strike aimed at bringing the city, an Asian financial hub, to a halt is planned for Monday.
Ater the peaceful demonstrations finished, hundreds of masked protesters blocked roads in the town of Tseung Kwan O in the New Territories, set up barricades and hurled hard objects, including bricks at a police station.
Police fired tear gas to disperse protesters ater a separate rally in the island’s Western district where thousands of people gathered to urge authorities to listen to public demands.
Protesters had began a march towards China’s Liaison Office which has been a flashpoint at previous protests.
Police said the protesters were “participating in an unathorised assembly,” similar to Saturday when they fired multiple tear gas rounds in confrontations with black-clad activists in the Kowloon area.
Police said they had arrested more than 20 people for offences overnight including unlawful assembly and assault. The protests have become the most serious political crisis in Hong Kong since it returned to Chinese rule 22 years ago ater being governed by Britain since 1842. China’s official news agency Xinhua said on Sunday: “Central government will not sit idly by and let this situation continue. We firmly believe that Hong Kong will be able to overcome the difficulties and challenges ahead.”
During the day protesters had marched brandishing coloured leaflets, called for a mass strike across Hong Kong on Monday and shouted “Restore Hong Kong” and “Revolution of our time.” “We’re trying to tell the government to (withdraw) the extradition bill and to police to stop the investigations and the violence,” said Gabriel Lee, a 21-year-old technology student.
Lee said what made him most angry was that the government was not responding to any of the protesters’ demands or examining the police violence.