Heavy rain fell on tens of thousands of umbrella-toting protesters yesterday as they marched from a packed park and filled a major road in Hong Kong, where mass pro-democracy demonstrations have become a regular weekend activity this summer.
Organizers said they hoped that the assembly would be peaceful, which would make for a rare calm weekend in a months-long movement that has been marked by violent clashes with police.
Law enforcement officers were keeping a low profile, with no riot police seen from the procession’s main routes.
Photo: Reuters
“We hope that there will not be any chaotic situations today [yesterday],” organizer Bonnie Leung (梁穎敏) said. “We hope we can show the world that Hong Kong people can be totally peaceful.”
Leung’s group, the Civil Human Rights Front, has organized three massive marches in Hong Kong since June.
However, the protest movement has been increasingly marked by clashes with police as demonstrators vent their frustrations over what they perceive to be the Hong Kong government’s blatant refusal to respond to their demands.
Photo: AP
“Peace is the No. 1 priority today,” said Kiki Ma, a 28-year-old accountant participating in the march. “We want to show that we aren’t like the government.”
While police had granted approval for the rally, they did not approve an accompanying march.
Demonstrators nevertheless fanned out and filled the streets, as there was not enough space at the designated assembly area.
Public transit trains did not stop at stations near the assembly because of overcrowding.
Harley Ho, a 20-year-old social work student who attended the rally, said that protesters were undeterred by the rain and would not rest until their demands were met.
“We will stand here, we will take action until they respond to us,” Ho said. “In the rain, our spirit becomes stronger.”
In Beijing, You Wenze (尤文澤), a spokesman for China’s ceremonial legislature, condemned statements from US lawmakers supportive of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement.
You called the lawmakers’ comments “a gross violation of the spirit of the rule of law, a blatant double standard and a gross interference in China’s internal affairs.”
He said that Hong Kong’s 7.5 million people and the Chinese population as a whole rejected the actions of a “very small group of violent protesters” as well as “any interference of foreign forces.”
You did not mention any specific lawmaker, but numerous US lawmakers, including US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have affirmed the US’ commitment to human rights and urged the Hong Kong government to end the standoff.
The US Congress also has the power to pass legislation affecting Hong Kong’s relationship with the US in ways that could further erode the territory’s reputation for stability and rule of law.
That includes the recent reintroduction of the US’ Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which would among its other provisions require the US secretary of state to issue an annual certification of Hong Kong’s autonomy to justify special treatment afforded to the territory.
More directly, US President Donald Trump could simply issue an executive order suspending Hong Kong’s special trading status with the US, a move that could have a devastating effect on the local economy at a time when Beijing and Washington are engaged in a trade dispute.
A former British colony, Hong Kong was returned to Beijing in 1997 under the framework of “one country, two systems,” which promised residents certain democratic rights not afforded to people in mainland China.
However, some Hong Kongers have accused the Chinese Communist Party-ruled central government of eroding their freedoms in recent years.
The protest movement’s demands include the resignation of Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥), democratic elections and an independent investigation into police use of force.
Members of China’s paramilitary People’s Armed Police force have been training for days across the border in Shenzhen, including yesterday morning, fueling speculation that they could be sent in to suppress the protests.
The Hong Kong police have said that they are capable of handling the protests.
DRONE CENTRAL: Taiwan aims to become Asia’s democratic hub for drones, with most exports focused on high-quality military-grade models, an official said Taiwan’s drone industry is expected to expand significantly by 2030, producing 100,000 units per month and exporting half of them, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Current drone production capacity is about 15,000 units per month, but the industry can quickly scale up as demand increases, Industrial Development Administration Director-General Chiou Chyou-huey (邱求慧) told a news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s drone output grew 2.5-fold last year to NT$12.9 billion (US$408.3 million) under a government program to develop the uncrewed vehicle sector, he said. The Executive Yuan in October last year approved plans to invest NT$44.2 billion into domestic production of uncrewed aerial
WARNING: China should stop engaging in actions that undermine regional peace and stability, as it would only build resentment among people across the Strait, the CGA said China has deployed more than 100 navy, coast guard and other vessels in waters from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea and the western Pacific since US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met in Beijing, National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said yesterday. “In this part of the world, #China is the one & only PROBLEM wrecking the #StatusQuo & threatening regional peace & stability,” Wu wrote on X. In a separate post, he said Beijing was coercing Taiwan’s maritime domain, calling it illegal and provocative, after the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) expelled a
VERBOSE VESSELS: A CGA cutter and a China Coast Guard exchanged verbal barbs for more than a day in Taiwanese-controlled waters before the Chinese vessel left The Taiwanese and Chinese coast guards had a standoff near the strategically located Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the north of the South China Sea, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The two sides engaged in intense radio exchanges over sovereignty claims during the 33-hour standoff. China Coast Guard vessel 3501 eventually left the restricted waters, 26.6 nautical miles (49.2km) west of the Pratas Islands, at 5pm yesterday, the CGA said. Lying approximately between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Taiwan-controlled Pratas are seen by some security experts as vulnerable to Chinese attack due to their distance — more than
More than 8,000 people took part in a rally in Taipei yesterday to express support for more defense spending, after the opposition slashed the Cabinet’s proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.6 billion) special defense budget and capped it at NT$780 billion. The demonstrators urged the Cabinet to propose another bill. Taiwan Economic Democracy Union convener Lai Chung-chiang (賴中強) said the main problem of the passed budget plan is the removal of funding for critical items, not just that the total amount is smaller. Critical budget items included purchasing or developing uncrewed vehicles, Strong Bow (強弓) missile systems, additional ammunition, artificial intelligence-powered combat systems and Taiwan-US
RSS