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13 August 2019

All flights in and out of Hong Kong were cancelled after thousands of pro-democracy protesters flooded the city’s airport


HK airport in total shutdown

CHINA


Tuesday, 13 Aug 2019




image: https://apicms.thestar.com.my/uploads/images/2019/08/13/209077.jpg

Making a statement: Protesters staging a sit-in at the departure hall of Terminal 1 as stranded travellers look on at the Hong Kong International Airport. — China Daily/Asia News Network


Hong Kong: All flights in and out of Hong Kong were cancelled after thousands of pro-democracy protesters flooded the city’s airport to denounce police violence.

The abrupt shutdown at one of the world’s busiest hubs yesterday came as the Chinese government signalled its rising anger at the protesters, denouncing some of the violent demonstrations as act of terrorism.


The developments marked yet another dramatic escalation in a 10-week crisis that had already become the biggest challenge to Chinese rule of Hong Kong since the 1997 British handover.

A crowd of protesters that authorities said numbered more than 5, 000 descended on Hong Kong International Airport yesterday carrying placards and chanting slogans about police violence.


Although other rallies had been held at the transport hub over the previous three days, yesterday was the first to have a significant impact on passengers.

“Airport operations at Hong Kong International Airport have been seriously disrupted as a result of the public assembly at the airport today, ” the airport said in a statement.“Members of the public are advised not to come to the airport.”

Loudspeakers were periodically telling people: “All flights have been cancelled, please leave as soon as possible”.

Hong Kong-based carrier Cathay Pacific warned the disruption could extend into today, and advised customers to “postpone non-essential travel”.

At the airport, protesters held signs reading “Hong Kong is not safe” and “Shame on police”.

They accuse the force of using increasingly violent and disproportionate tactics to suppress protests.

The city’s transport chief Frank Chan said yesterday that Hong Kong would pay a “heavy price” for the airport’s closure.

The China government described the unrest in Hong Kong as a sign of “terrorism emerging”, as state media published a video of armoured personnel carriers purportedly driving towards a city bordering the territory.

Beijing slammed violent protesters who it said had thrown petrol bombs at police officers and linked them to “terrorism” in Hong Kong, where weeks of pro-democracy demonstrations have posed the biggest challenge to Chinese rule since the territory’s 1997 British handover.

“Hong Kong’s radical demonstrators have repeatedly used extremely dangerous tools to attack police officers, which already constitutes a serious violent crime, and also shows the first signs of terrorism emerging, ” said Yang Guang, spokesman for the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council.

“This wantonly tramples on Hong Kong’s rule of law and social order, ” he said at a press briefing in Beijing.

Two state media outlets, the nationalistic tabloid Global Times and the People’s Daily ran a minute-long video compiling clips of armoured personnel carriers and troop carriers purportedly driving to Shenzhen, which borders Hong Kong.

The video shows roughly two dozen armoured carriers apparently driving through the southern city of Guangzhou and other troop carriers leaving eastern Fujian province.The People’s Armed Police (PAP) are in charge of “handling riots, turmoil, seriously violent, criminal activities, terrorist attacks and other societal security incidents”, the People’s Daily said in text accompanying the video.

The PAP are assembling in Shenzhen, “a city bordering Hong Kong, in advance of apparent large-scale exercises”, the Global Times said.

Beijing’s warnings come a day after thousands of pro-democracy protesters defied warnings from authorities to hit the streets for the 10th weekend in a row.

Hong Kong police fired volleys of tear gas on Sunday at demonstrators after denying their requests for permits to stage a march, and yesterday authorities took the unprecedented step of closing the airport as thousands gathered for new protests.

Over the weekend police fired tear gas into subway stations and crowded shopping streets as they confronted protesters at nearly a dozen locations across the city.

Protesters responded by hurling bricks and spraying riot police with fire extinguishers and water hoses.

Demonstrators were also enraged at police apparently dressing in the black T-shirts worn by the pro-democracy movement to infiltrate the rallies and make surprise arrests.

Officials said 45 people were hurt in the clashes, including two who were in serious condition.

Among them was a woman who suffered a face injury, reportedly after being hit by a bean bag round, with rumours circulating that she had lost her vision in the incident.

But Yang focused on the violent behavior of a “tiny minority”, which he condemned as “a serious challenge to Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability”.

The two-month crisis, which was triggered by opposition to a planned extradition law, has morphed into a wider movement for democratic reform and a halt to eroding freedom.

It is the biggest threat to Beijing’s rule of the semi-autonomous southern Chinese city since its handover from Britain in 1997 -- and has drawn repeated criticism but no forceful actions yet from the central Chinese government.

One protester felt otherwise.

“It is becoming more and more dangerous, but if we don’t still come out at this point, our future will become more frightening, and we will lose our freedom, ” said the protester who gave her family name as Chan. — AFP


Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/news/regional/2019/08/13/hk-airport-in-total-shutdown#fZwtxEI8GRMCHcZA.99

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