Protesters and police yesterday clashed in Hong Kong for a second straight day, throwing the territory’s business and shopping belt into chaos, and sparking fears of more ugly scenes ahead of China’s National Day tomorrow.
Riot police repeatedly fired blue liquid — used to identify protesters — from a water cannon truck and multiple volleys of tear gas after demonstrators hurled Molotov cocktails at officers and targeted the government office complex.
It was a repeat of Saturday’s clashes and part of a familiar cycle since pro-democracy protests began in early June. The protests were sparked by a now-shelved extradition bill and have since snowballed into an anti-China movement.
Photo: AFP
“We know that in the face of the world’s largest totalitarian regime — to quote Captain America: ‘Whatever it takes,’” Justin Leung, a 21-year-old protester who covered his mouth with a black scarf, said of the violent methods deployed by radicals. “The consensus right now is that everyone’s methods are valid and we all do our part.”
Protesters are planning to march again tomorrow, despite a police ban, raising fears of more violent confrontations that could embarrass Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) as his Chinese Communist Party (CCP) marks 70 years since taking power.
Protesters are calling for Oct. 1 to be marked as “A Day of Grief.”
The Hong Kong government has already scaled down the territory’s National Day celebrations, canceling an annual fireworks display and moving a reception indoors.
Despite security concerns, the government yesterday said that Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥) would today lead a delegation of more than 240 people to Beijing to participate in the National Day festivities.
Yesterday’s turmoil started in the early afternoon when police fired tear gas to disperse a large crowd that amassed in the popular Causeway Bay shopping district.
However, thousands of people regrouped and marched along a main thoroughfare toward government offices, crippling traffic.
“So many youngsters feel that they’re going to have no future because of the power of China,” Andy Yeung, 40, said as he pushed his toddler in a stroller. “It’s hopeless for Hong Kong. If we don’t stand up, there will be no hope.”
Protesters, many clad in black with umbrellas and carrying pro-democracy posters and foreign flags, sang songs and chanted “Stand with Hong Kong, fight for freedom.”
Some defaced, tore down and burned National Day congratulatory signage, setting off a huge blaze on the street. Others sprayed graffiti along walls, and smashed windows and lobbed Molotov cocktails at subway exits.
Police then fired a water cannon and tear gas as the crowd approached the government office complex. Most fled, but hundreds returned, hurling objects into the complex.
Members of an elite police squad, commonly known as raptors, then charged out suddenly from behind barricades, taking many protesters by surprise. A number who failed to flee in time were subdued and detained in a scene of chaos.
The raptors, backed by scores of riot police, pursued protesters down the roads to nearby areas. Officers continued to fire multiple rounds of tear gas as the cat-and-mouse clashes continued into nightfall.
The demonstration was part of global “anti-totalitarianism” rallies planned in more than 60 cities worldwide to denounce “Chinese tyranny.” Thousands rallied in Taipei, while more than 1,000 took part in a rally in Sydney.
The protracted unrest, approaching four months, has battered Hong Kong’s economy, with businesses and tourism plunging.
Lam held her first community dialogue with the public on Thursday in a bid to defuse tensions, but failed to persuade protesters, who vowed to press on until their demands are met, including direct elections for the territory’s leaders and police accountability.
Earlier yesterday, hundreds of pro-Beijing Hong Kong residents sang the Chinese national anthem and waved red flags at a waterfront cultural center in a show of support for Chinese rule. They were later bused to the Victoria Peak hilltop for the same repertoire.
There was a net reduction last year in the number of Taipei residents and this year is expected to set a 23-year high for population decline in the city, Ministry of the Interior statistics released yesterday showed. From January to last month, 18,861 more people moved out of Taipei than moved into the capital, an increase of 7,000 from the same period last year, the data showed. That is a 7.2 percent decrease in the city’s population since the start of the year, the biggest drop in both percentage and total number among all municipalities and counties nationwide, the data showed. The data
COUNCILS CLASH: The Mainland Affairs Council said a new office in Hong Kong is to assist people with issues related to investment, study and employment in Taiwan The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday denied an accusation by the Hong Kong-Taiwan Economic and Cultural Co-operation and Promotion Council that its Taiwanese counterpart in the territory was “interfering with Hong Kong’s internal affairs.” The Hong Kong council leveled the accusation after Taipei’s Taiwan-Hong Kong Economic and Cultural Co-operation Council this month announced it would establish a Taiwan-Hong Kong Services and Exchanges Office to facilitate humanitarian aid for Hong Kongers. The new office is scheduled to begin operations on Wednesday. The MAC yesterday asked the Hong Kong council to “not misinterpret” the government’s intentions. The two Taiwan-Hong Kong councils were established in 2010 to
IRRESPONSIBLE ATTITUDES? Some experts say the NHI system does not do enough to educate the public, or pay doctors to talk to patients, about healthy lifestyles While the life expectancy of Taiwanese newborns in 2018 reached 80.69 years, the number of years people spent in poor health hit a record high at 8.41 years, Ministry of Health and Welfare statistics showed on Saturday. Healthy life expectancy is calculated by a person’s life expectancy minus the time they spend in ill health, such as the loss of mobility, disabilities and chronic disease, based on medical records and calculations about the years they live with disabilities. The number of years that Taiwanese spend in poor health is increasing slowly, but steadily, rising by 0.46 years, or five-and-a-half months, between 2012
UPTICK IN NUMBERS: The Taipei deputy mayor said the city has services to assist new immigrants, but has established an office specifically to help those from Hong Kong The Taiwan-Hong Kong Services and Exchanges Office today officially opens, where it is to provide humanitarian assistance to Hong Kongers, after Beijing yesterday passed a controversial national security law for the territory. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) expressed dismay over China’s passage of the law, saying that Beijing has broken its pledge to allow Hong Kong to maintain a high degree of autonomy for at least 50 years following its handover from the UK. “I feel extremely disappointed [about the law’s passage], which means China did not keep its promise to Hong Kong,” Tsai said in Taipei. Beijing’s “broken promise” also
RSS