Hong Kong’s defiant protesters are aiming to bring the government to its knees by crippling transport links and setting up roadblocks to cause traffic disruptions in various districts for a third consecutive day.
Wednesday’s actions follow fiery battles the night before at Chinese University (CUHK) in Sha Tin as police and protesters locked horns in a full-day clash, marked by petrol bombs thrown by protesters, and tear gas and rubber bullets fired by officers. Late into the night, more unrest stirred in districts across the city.
At least 11 tertiary institutions, including CUHK and the University of Hong Kong, have announced classes will be suspended again due to transport uncertainties.
A total of 287 people were arrested on Monday after violent confrontations in multiple locations, including the shooting of a demonstrator, and protesters setting a man on fire. About 255 canisters of tear gas, 204 rubber bullets, 45 beanbag rounds and 96 sponge grenades were fired over the course of the day.
Follow SCMP live coverage below for the latest updates.
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3037453/hong-kong-protests-city-braces-third-straight-day-travel
.... with a lot of photos and other documents
Reporting by Sum Lok-kei, Zoe Low, Chris Lau, Elizabeth Cheung, Karen Zhang, Phila Siu, Jeffie Lam and Chan Ho-him.
6:42AM - Roads blocked at Chinese University
Protesters at Chinese University set roadblocks on Tai Po Road near one of the entrances to the Sha Tin campus, blocking traffic in both directions. Some protesters and first aiders are lying down at the side of the road to rest, having been involved in confrontations with police since Monday.
7:04AM - Schools closed across city
Many primary and secondary schools in the North district, especially those near Sha Tin and Tai Po, have suspend classes on Wednesday.
Schools include: Kau Yan College, Sha Tin Methodist College, Carmel Pak U Secondary School, Hong Kong Taoist Association The Yuen Yuen Institute No.2 Secondary School, CCC Kei San Secondary School, PLK Tin Ka Ping Millennium Primary School and Chi Hong Primary School.
Some cite transport disruption and concerns for students’ safety as a reason, after clashes at nearby Chinese University, and in Tai Po on Tuesday night.
Several schools in other districts, including Cotton Spinners Association Secondary School in Kwai Chung, and HKMLC Ming Tao Primary School in Tseung Kwan O, are also closed.
English Schools Foundation has suspended all lessons at its member institutions for the second day running.
7:15AM - Public transport in chaos
Public transport has been badly affected on Wednesday 13 after the previous day’s disruption in Hong Kong.
– MTR:
All services on the East Rail line are suspended. Mong Kok, Tuen Mun and Tseung Kwan O stations are closed.
Light rail routes 705, 761P and 751P have been suspended. All light rail services are running on 13 to 25-minute intervals.
All MTR services, except for the Airport Express, will end at 10pm.
– Buses and road traffic:
Tolo Highway, which connects Tai Po and Sha Tin, is not open because of barricades in the road.
About 70 bus routes, including five cross-harbour routes, are suspended, including all buses that run on Tolo Highway.
7:19AM - Residents stranded
With Tolo Highway not open, and MTR’s East Rail line suspended, people living in Tai Po, Fanling and Sheung Shui are finding it extremely difficult to get to other parts of the city.
Protesters break into and take control of two vans and a coach.
7:25AM - Morning after the night before
Some city cleaners and passers-by try to clear Nathan Road of debris left by protesters on Tuesday.
7:33AM - MTR update: Kowloon Tong station vandalised
MTR Corporation releases photos of the damage protesters caused at Kowloon Tong station during a violent rampage on Tuesday night.
7:35AM - MTR update: train trashed
The MTR Corporation says protesters broke into University station overnight and trashed the station and set a train on fire.
7:39AM - Police should stay away from university, says protester
A male protester at Chinese University, who is in his 30s, says police should make it clear they do not intend to return to the campus, “so students can ease their minds”.
For the time being, he says protesters should keep the roadblocks to stop police coming back.
“Its like a battle field,” he says. “As a Hongkonger, I think we should side with Chinese University students.”
7:45AM - Going nowhere fast
A long line of people at Tai Wai MTR station are waiting for taxis and mini buses. Some say they have been there for more than an hour and still cannot get in a taxi, or on a mini bus.
7:47AM - MTR update: train delays
Trains on the Kwun Tong line are being delayed every few stops, with periodic announcements that the train in front has not yet left the next station.
7:51AM - Stuck in Sha Tin with no taxis in sight
At Kwong Yuen bus station in Sha Tin, people are trying different ways to get to work as public transport is limited.
More than 20 people are at the taxi stand, and Sarah Wong, who was first in the queue, has been waiting for a taxi for around 40 minutes.
“So far I only saw one taxi coming to the taxi stand during this time of waiting,” says Wong, who is trying to get to her job in Shek Kip Mei. “I can’t pre-book a taxi or a van, even if I’m willing to pay HK$200 extra just to get to an MTR station.”
Wong says she can only wait at the taxi stand because the East Rail line, which connects Sha Tin to other parts of the city, is not running.
“Everything has stopped. This is even worse than the time of Typhoon Mangkhut, when the MTR was still operating. How can people go to work if buses are not running?” says Wong.
7:53 AM - Education Bureau refuses to close schools
Amid calls from parents and teachers to suspend classes in primary and secondary schools, the Education Bureau has refused to do so on Wednesday 13. Despite this, multiple schools announced the suspension of lessons.
The bureau says in a statement at 7.31am that parents should decide whether their children attend school “depending on the circumstances”, and also urges schools to open campuses to take care of those who turn up.
On Tuesday 12, when asked about the government’s decision not to suspend classes at schools, Chief Executive Carrie Lam insisted there was a “willingness and eagerness of citizens and students to go to work and school”.
“Protesters are attempting to paralyse Hong Kong to create a stalemate in the city,” Lam said. “The government cannot recklessly stop all activities in Hong Kong, otherwise it will fall into the protesters’ trap.”
7:56AM - Baptist University roadblocks
A small group of about 10 protesters set up roadblocks and start fires near Baptist University in Kowloon Tong. Riot police arrive to clear the barricades, but do not clash with protesters.
8:08AM - All quiet at University of Hong Kong
Dozens of riot police are on Pok Fu Lam Road near HKU MTR station with six police vans nearby. Most roadblocks set up by student protesters the day before have been cleared.
Riot police are stationed on the footbridge connecting the university and the station. On Monday, protesters occupied the bridge as they blocked the road with stones, chairs and other objects.
A police officer says they arrived at 6am, and no protesters were around. “The traffic was smooth then with roadblocks pushed aside,” the officer says. “We didn’t remove them until an hour later when a warm-hearted citizen actively began to remove them.”
Some residents greet the police. “You keep us safe. Good job!” a middle-aged man says as he walks past.
8:10AM - MTR services update
Yuen Long MTR station has been closed because protesters are again vandalising the station, the rail operator says.
On the West Rail line, services between Tuen Mun and Kam Sheung Road are suspended.
The entire East Rail line, from Hung Hom to Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau, remains suspended.
At the Tai Shui Hang station on the Ma On Sha Line, objects have been thrown onto the track and services are affected. Trains are running at 15-minute intervals between Shek Mun and Tai Shui Hang, at 7-minute intervals between Wu Kai Sha and Tai Shui Hang, and at 5-minuter intervals between Tai Wai and Shuk Mun.
8:11AM - Commuters getting angry
Tempers fray as commuters try to cram into increasingly packed and delayed MTR trains. One man on a train towards Whampoa on the Kwun Tong line shouts, “everyone is stuck, taxis are asking HK$200 as a base and none of the buses are working” as he is jostled by more passengers trying to get on.
8:14AM - Trying to get to school
A 12-year-old Form One student, surnamed Cho, is trying to get to school in City One in Sha Tin from Kwong Yuen housing estate, despite his school announcing that classes are suspended for the day.
“My dad asked me to go to school regardless,” Cho says, but admits he is worried about what might happen on his way there.
“I’m worried if those black-clad people will appear, blocking roads or smashing car windows,” he says.
8:16AM - Chinese University students seek court injunction against police
The student union at Chinese University says its lawyers will apply for a court injunction barring police from entering the Sha Tin campus without a warrant. Students also want police not to use crowd control weapons unless asked by school management.
8:30AM - ‘You made us this way’
A protester on a bridge overlooking Tolo Highway near Chinese University stands near graffiti that says: “It is you who made us no longer peaceful.”
Hundreds of protesters are gathered at Chinese University, following a chaotic day on campus. Some rest on a footbridge overlooking the blocked highway, others rest next to it.
8:35AM - Transport chaos leaves commuters stuck across city
Commuters across the city are struggling to get to work, with buses, trains, and roads all affected by the third weekday protest in a row.
8:39AM - Medical services hit by protest
The Hospital Authority (HA) announces that some hospital and clinical services, including elective surgeries, may be affected because staff cannot get to work on time because of the traffic disruption. However, services at the accident and emergency departments and inpatient services at public hospitals are largely operating as normal.
“HA staff who cannot report for duty as scheduled should inform their supervisors concerned immediately for flexible staff deployment and contingency duty rearrangement,” the authority says. “HA would like to express its appreciation to staff who may need to work additional hours beyond their normal duty.”
8:42AM - MTR update: service suspension
Trains services between Kwun Tong and Tiu Keng Leng on the Kwun Tong line have been suspended because some people are stopping train doors from closing, the MTR Corporation says.
8:44AM - ‘Blame for disruption on both sides’
Ko, 50, who works in the legal profession, has transferred from Kowloon Tong to Prince Edward on the MTR to try and get to Yuen Long.
“There was only one entrance open at Kowloon Tong, and I still don’t know how I will get to Yuen Long,” she says.
Ko says emotions are running high on all sides, but says she puts more of the blame on protesters and students. “They said if they don’t protest there will be no more Hong Kong, but the way they are doing it now, there is already no more Hong Kong,” she says.
She also disagrees with police firing tear gas into Chinese University on Tuesday. “The government was wrong there, but the students also need to know they should not have continued to escalate their violent actions,” she says.
8:48AM - Crowds building at MTR stations
As the city’s rail services announce suspensions and station closures, those facilities still open see a huge increase in passenger numbers. In Prince Edward, hundreds are queuing just to get on to an already crowded platform.
A long line forms to enter Prince Edward station as only two ticketing gates appear to be working. Some passengers turn back as they reach the platform for trains to Tiu Keng Leng and Central as there is barely any floor space to stand on.
8:52AM - Festival Walk trashed by protesters
Festival Walk in Kowloon Tong is closed on Wednesday after protesters vandalised mall facilities and trashed shops on Tuesday night.
9:00AM - Police arrive at Nathan Road
More than a dozen riot police occupy the junction of Argyle Street and Nathan Road, and begin to clear roadblocks left overnight.
9:03AM - Police at Prince Edward MTR station
Police officers arrive at Prince Edward MTR station to help maintain order as hundreds of people crowd onto the platform to wait for trains.
Yip, who works in Wan Chai, says it took him 15 minutes to enter the station and reach the platform, and he waits another 15 minutes before the train arrives.
“I already planned ahead and left for work early. But I can understand the situation and I don’t feel inconvenienced,” he says.
9:15AM - Spending hours just getting to work
In a bus station outside Tai Wai MTR station, hundreds of people wait for a minibus heading to Tsuen Wan. Lines of people spill over into a traffic lane inside the terminus, leaving a small space for vehicles to pass by.
Carmen Tse, a 22-year-old kindergarten teacher, has waited for at least 1½ hours for the minibus. “I feel really helpless. The Education Bureau refuses to announce class suspension, but many pupils actually could not get to school,” Tse says.
It usually takes Tse an hour to travel from Tai Wai to Tsuen Wan by bus, but she expects it to take 2½ hours today. “Hong Kong is in such a state ... as well as the situation in Chinese University on Tuesday night, I think it is really crazy for people still going to work now,” she says.
James Lau, a clerical worker, also plans to take an unusual route to his office in Kowloon City. He hopes to get onto the minibus to Tsuen Wan, where he can take the MTR to Prince Edward, then walk to his office. He usually takes a direct bus from Tai Wai to Kowloon City.
“I thought I might need to spend an extra time, of half a day, to get to work,” he says. “Now I’m just trying my best to get to work.”
9:18AM - MTR workers caught up in travel delays
An MTR worker says a train on the Kwun Tong line on the Prince Edward platform, originally heading towards Tiu Keng Leng, is now only stopping at Choi Hung.
The train has been delayed at the platform for more than 20 minutes because a train at the next station is unable to leave, she says. She tells the Post she had to walk from Kwun Tong to Lam Tin to get to work at Prince Edward.
9:22AM - Carrie Lam turning blind eye to safety of pupils says teachers’ union
Carrie Lam turning blind eye to safety of pupils, says teachers’ union
the Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union, which has repeatedly called for the Education Bureau to suspend classes, slams the government for neglecting its responsibilities by refusing to halt lessons at schools on Wednesday. It says the decision has “disregarded the safety of pupils and teachers”.
In a statement it adds: “In face of uncertainties of traffic services across Hong Kong, [Chief Executive] Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s government has turned a blind eye. The PTU is outraged by the government’s attitude, completely neglecting the safety for teachers and students.”
9:27AM - Nowhere to go
An MTR worker puts up a sign saying passengers can get refunds on train fares by by tapping their Octopus cards upon leaving the station. One man who sees the sign says: “Even if I leave, I can’t get to where I want to be.”
9:42AM - Frustration builds at MTR station
Frustrated passengers question an MTR worker who has come to inform people there are no longer trains on the Kwun Tong line, but that trains to Central are still working. The ticket gates are all closed and a queue of about 50 passengers forms behind them. Meanwhile, a new line forms at the only remaining working ticket gate.
9:45AM - Entrances blocked at Polytechnic University
Police officers stand on a footbridge connecting Hung Hom MTR station and Polytechnic University, where protesters vandalised facilities on Tuesday. Entrances to the campus are blocked by barricades, and a few protesters can be seen at the entrance.
9:53AM - ‘Sorry’ for smashing your window
A staff member at a Fortress store on Argyle Street clears shattered glass from the pavement after someone smashed a window overnight. The word “Sorry” has been spray-painted on the window. When asked who had done it, the worker smiles and says: “I don’t know. I don’t dare to say because I didn’t see. Everything is possible. Maybe our people did this carelessly.”
9:54AM - MTR update: Kwun Tong line
The entire Kwun Tong line has been suspended because people are stopping trains from running at multiple stations, the MTR says.
10:00AM - Education update: more schools close
More Hong Kong schools announce the suspension of classes, including top secondary schools St Paul’s Co-educational College in Mid-Levels, Diocesan Boys’ School in Mong Kok, and Ying Wa College in Sham Shui Po.
The pro-establishment Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers says in a statement it “regrets” the government’s refusal to suspend classes on Wednesday, a decision which “put schools in a difficult position”. It also urges schools to halt lessons of their own accord, depending on students’ safety considerations.
Earlier, the pro-democracy Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union called for a suspension of classes and accused the government of “disregarding students’ and teachers’ safety”.
10:08AM - Tactical police spotted at Chinese University
Protesters at Chinese University say the police’s special tactical squad, also known as the Raptors, has been spotted at Tolo Harbour near the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park. “Gear up! There are Raptors!” one protester yells.
10:18AM - Blood donor centres closed
Services at three blood donor centres, in Yuen Long, the University of Hong Kong, and Polytechnic University, have been suspended, according to the Hospital Authority. The Authority says the opening time of other donor centres might also be delayed and reminds citizens to call the centres beforehand.
10:23AM - Teacher critical of Education Bureau
A teacher at a New Territories secondary school, who does not want to be named, criticises the Education Bureau for waiting until 7.31am on Wednesday to announce that parents can decide for themselves whether they want their children to go to school.
“When the announcement was made, most of the students were either on their way to school or were already at school,” he says.
For those students who made it to school, many of their parents end up returning to pick them up and take them home. The teacher says the Education Bureau should have known what the traffic situation would be like on Wednsday morning, and any announcements should have been made on Tuesday night.
10:25AM - Student union goes to court
Chinese University student union president Jacky So has lodged an urgent bid in the High Court to stop police from entering the university’s campus in Sha Tin. Senior counsel Audrey Yu seeks direction from Mr Justice Wilson Chan Ka-shun in a close-door hearing, which will resume at 5pm.
So says the riot police are out of control. “The university’s president wanted to negotiate with the police, but he was also tear gassed when he was leaving,” he says. “This shows that police just fired tear gas without considering who is the target.”
The union president also says some trees in the campus caught alight because of the firing of tear gas. “The environment of the campus was seriously damaged ... so many students were injured that I’ve lost count of it, and some were seriously wounded,” he says, adding the university could have been more active in helping students after clashes broke out on Monday 11.
10:27AM - Stuck in Prince Edward
Passengers trying to travel towards Central settle in for a long wait at Prince Edward MTR station, where it has been more than 30 minutes since the last train departed. Meanwhile, the crowd on the concourse still remains, but passengers are still unable to pass through ticket barriers.
An IT worker surnamed Leung, who lives in Wong Tai Sin and works in Central, says he has already told his office he will be taking a day off. “I’ve waited for an hour and a half, I’m going to start walking home in a moment,” he says.
10:40AM - MTR update: station closures
The MTR Corporation publishes a map of all the problems on the city’s network. It can be found here, and will be updated regularly, the rail operator says.
10:52AM - Violence will never succeed, says city’s deputy leader
Speaking ahead of the Legislative Council meeting, Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung says 30 districts in Hong Kong have been hit by violent protests, which included road blockades, arson and vandalism.
He raises serious concerns over the hurling of petrol bombs onto train compartments and a moving train by protesters.
“I call on citizens to distance themselves from these violent acts,” says Cheung. “Violence is not a way out and would never succeed. The SAR government is determined and capable of curbing the violence and will fully support the police to enforce the law decisively.”
10:55AM - Angry passengers surround MTR worker
Angry passengers surround MTR workers who come to help one woman who felt uncomfortable after standing for at least an hour at Prince Edward MTR station.
Passengers ask if there are actually any trains going to Central, and if not, why the station does not just close. One MTR worker attempts to explain the situation to a passenger at the front of the line, but other passengers demand he talk to everyone there, but workers claim the station’s public address system is broken.
11:06AM - No place to hide, security chief tells protesters
Secretary for Security John Lee Ka-chiu says Tuesday’s protests were more serious than before, despite fewer people taking part at the different locations.
He also says there is no place in the city beyond the long arm of the law. “The police force has a legal responsibility to take action when [someone] breaks the law in Hong Kong,” Lee says. “Universities should not be a place which breed violence.”
11:09AM - Tensions flare in Yuen Long
Tensions are running high in Yuen Long on Castle Peak Road as dozens of riot police, many armed with long shields, arrive. The area has seen violent
clashes between protesters and police in the past few months, and police say through a loud speaker that hundreds of people on the streets should leave immediately, because they are taking part in an unauthorised assembly.
“We the police will take action soon. We don’t want you to get hurt,” an officer says.
11:13AM - Security chief says police were just ‘defending themselves’
Asked how he views attempts to liken the confrontations at Chinese University on Tuesday 12, to the bloody Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989, John Lee says one has to put the incident in perspective.
He says protesters threw projectiles from the bridge over Tolo Highway on Tuesday, which posed serious danger to public safety.
“When they [police] tried to do what they are allowed to do under the law, they were under attack,” he says. “Petrol bombs were thrown at them, so they must act in order to ... defend themselves. That is what we saw on television.”
Asked why police officers would fire tear gas at the direction of Chinese University president Rocky Tuan, who was there to mediate, Lee says there were rioters behind Tuan who hurled objects at the police.
11:18AM - Education update: minister defends schools decision
Education minister Kevin Yeung Yun-hung denies allegations that the government’s refusal to suspend classes on Wednesday is an attempt to “save face”, saying traffic conditions varied across districts.
“We think our current system allowing schools to make school-based decisions, and parents to make decisions [whether] to go to school or not should remain,” he says. “It is different from a typhoon when the whole of Hong Kong is influenced.“
Yeung says the government will monitor the overall situation to make any necessary decisions.
Elsewhere, people are waiting in long queues at Mong Kok minibus stops on Tung Choi street to Kwun Tung and Kowloon Bay, including a Hong Kong island resident surnamed Chow, who was supposed to be at work by 9am.
Chow, who left home at 8am, says it took 2 hours for him to travel from Shau Kei Wan to Yau Ma Tei because the MTR was very slow, and he got lost looking for the bus stop.
“I was going to take Kwun Tong line but the whole line is stopped,” he says. “So I had to transfer at this stop, which I’ve never taken before.”
11:24AM - Passengers clash in Prince Edward
Tensions at Prince Edward station continue to rise as angry passengers question a man who says he is an MTR employee, but is not dressed in uniform. As a train to Central arrives, more scuffles break out as some continue to keep the doors from closing, and two women who argue with the people blocking doors are forced out of the train and station.
11:30AM - Stash of petrol bombs
Petrol bombs are seen dotted around Chinese University, where police and protesters faced off near a bridge on Tuesday.
The bridge is one of only a few routes into the campus, and offers protesters a higher vantage point, from which they are able to drop objects onto the Tolo Highway and East Rail line tracks below.
11:30AM - University postpones graduation ceremonies
Shue Yan University announces it will postpone all five of its graduation ceremonies, originally scheduled to take place next week from Tuesday to Thursday, because of the current social atmosphere and an attempt to guard graduates’ safety.
The university’s deputy president, Hu Fai-chung, says in a letter to students, alumni and staff: “We have witnessed young people who passed away or were seriously injured by live rounds, a student of ours who was severely burnt during a public event, as well as people of different political affiliations getting into quarrels and start harming each other, which has been saddening and heart-wrenching.”
11:33AM - MTR update: Tsuen Wan line
MTR announces that the entire Tsuen Wan line, running between Tsuen Wan and Central, has been suspended. The East Rail line is also closed, while services between Tsuen Wan West and Tuen Mun have been suspended.
On the Kwun Tong line, trains are not running between Kwun Tong and Tiu Keng Leng. Trains are also not running between Po Lam and Tseung Kwan O, nor between Sunny Bay and Tung Chung.
11:48AM - Race meeting cancelled
The Jockey Club has cancelled tonight’s Happy Valley race meeting, with club officials deciding it was in the interests of safety to do so. It is the second time in the past two months a card at the city track has been aborted at the last minute, after the meeting on September 18 was also scrapped over safety concerns.
11:52AM - Legislative Council suspended
A Legislative Council meeting is suspended after president Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen orders Democratic Party chairman Wu Chi-wai to leave the chamber.
Wu was questioning security chief John Lee over the police’s handling of arrested protesters, but Lee went on to condemn protest violence.
Wu was warned several times by Leung after he became frustrated by Lee’s answer.
After the Legco meeting is suspended, pan-democrats heckle Lee as the minister is escorted out of the chamber by security guards.
“You have blood on your hands, John Lee,” the pan-democrats chant. “It’s you who turned Hong Kong like this.”
11:59AM - Police evacuate mainland students from Chinese University
More than 80 mainland Chinese students at the university leave the Sha Tin campus on Wednesday morning amid clashes between police and protesters.
They gather at a pier on Science Park Road near the Marine Police North base, waiting for coaches to take them to mainland China. A group of black-clad men appear and the mainland Chinese students call police, who dispatch two boats to transport them to Sai Kung, where the students are picked up by coaches.
12:08PM - Black flag raised in Yuen Long
Police and protesters are facing off in Yuen Long at the scene of an intense clash on Castle Peak Road at about 9.30pm on Tuesday, after protesters built barricades with bricks and blocked traffic in both directions.
Protesters then moved west into Tai Tong Road and Kau Yuk Road, removing metal roadside railings and used them to build barricades.
Lam Siu-lin, 67, who lives behind Kolour shopping centre, said she was scared when watching masked protesters destroy railings, remove rubbish bins and bus stop posts, and throw them on the roads.
“They were very loud and meddled around for a few hours,” she said, while watching through the window of her home. “I saw people flee as the police moved in.”
12:15PM - Claims police killed protesters inside MTR station ‘groundless’, says security chief
Responding to lawmakers’ question during the Legislative Council meeting before it is suspended, Secretary for Security John Lee Ka-chiu says claims anti-government protesters were killed by police during an operation inside Prince Edward MTR station on August 31 were “groundless”.
Asked if all passengers who were beaten by police on August 31 were rioters, Lee says: “Police officers had no choice but to use appropriate level of force to enforce the law, depending on actual circumstances.”
12:21PM - Protesters back in Central
For the third day in a row, a crowd gathers in Central at the junction between Pedder Street and Des Voeux Road Central. “Stand with Hong Kong” they chant.
12:31PM - Protesters agree to move Baptist University barricades
Outside Baptist University in Kowloon Tong, a man walks up to several protesters to ask them to remove barricades near to Baptist Hospital, which is next to the campus. The man fears hospital services will be affected.
At first, an angry protester responds: “Why don’t you talk to [Chief Executive] Carrie Lam about this?”
Minutes later, a different protester tells reporters at the scene she is sorry about the inconvenice, and says they did so because two Baptist University students were arrested outside the campus earlier in the morning. She promises to remove some barricades that might block access to the hospital.
12:37PM - University busing mainland Chinese students to safety
In an internal email on Wednesday, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) says a special shuttle bus service from the school to Elements shopping mall in Tsim Sha Tsui - where the cross-border bus station to Shenzhen is located - has been arranged for staff and students who want to leave the campus.
The tension between local and mainland Chinese students has intensified as the protests roll on. Last week, a mainland Chinese student at HKUST was assaulted
, while the office of a mainland academic was smashed. The incidents come after the death of 22-year-old HKUST student Chow Tsz-lok, who fell from a car park near a confrontation between police and protesters in Tseung Kwan O.
“While we are not aware of any imminent threat to campus safety, we understand some staff and students have the desire to leave campus,” the email reads. “Please rest assured that the University will be flexible in dealing with academic matters for all staff and students, and should not worry about these issues.”
The shuttle bus is running every 15 minutes from 10am to 4pm on Wednesday, according to HKUST.
12:45PM - Protesters strike at Cross Harbour tunnel
Scores of protesters are blocking the road near the entrance to the Cross Harbour tunnel in Hung Hom, with poles and other projectiles, and use petrol bombs to set the barricade on fire.
12:49PM - At least 70 hurt at Chinese University, say paramedics
Volunteer paramedics who stayed overnight at Chinese University say at least 70 protesters were treated for injuries from a water cannon and various projectiles on Tuesday night.
At least four were seriously injured, suffering head wounds that required hospital treatment, and the university’s gym, and campus office, have been turned into first-aid stations.
“It is a state of war,” one of the paramedics, who asks not to be named, says. “The police was not using legal force.”
12:52PM - ‘’Police broke four truces, that’s why I’m protesting’’
A university student, who gives her name Grace, says she came to Central on Wednesday because of what happened at the Chinese University yesterday.
“Students and police made four truces yesterday. But the police disregarded every one of them,” the 18-year-old business student says.
Another university student, Dicky, is taking part because he believes Central is a strategic location.
“The finance industry is the cornerstone of Hong Kong,” he says. “By taking the movement here, people from the finance industry can also take part.”
12:54PM - Bank of Communications branch attacked
A few black-clad protesters shatter the glass facade of the Bank of Communications branch on Pedder Street in Central, by hurling bricks at it. They then enter the branch to further vandalise it. When the glass breaks, the crowd, some dressed in suits and ties, clap.
Inside, three ATMs are tipped over, and those three, alongide a fourth that remains standing, all have their screens smashed.
12:57PM - Legislative Council meeting resumes
The Legco meeting resumes, and Democratic Party lawmaker Ted Hui Chi-fung asks why police officers appear to beat up protesters “whenever” they arrest them.
But security chief John Lee says that is not true. “Sometimes when people were arrested, other protesters would come to try to take away the suspects, or do other things to distract the police officers,” Lee says.
1:10PM - Cars trapped in tunnel
Cars, including a police vehicle, are trapped in a tunnel outside Exchange Square in Central as protesters rain down bricks from above.
1:30PM - ‘This is not democracy’
Sandra, a medical professional from Germany, confronts protesters setting up roadblocks on Des Voeux Road Central, only to be told off for being a foreigner.
“I am a permanent resident here. I am going nowhere,” says Sandra, who moved to Hong Kong in 2001.
She says she supported the initial protests against the extradition bill
and believed the government, which had done little consultation, should withdraw the extradition bill. The bill was withdrawn in September, three months after people started to take to the streets.
“But the problem is that it has gone too far,” she says, noting that protesters have been blocking roads, attacking those who hold a different opinion and even set a man on fire.
“That’s not democracy. In a democracy, you need to listen to both sides,” she says.
1:35PM - More clashes in Central
Riot police have subdued at least a woman and a man on the footbridge outside IFC in Central. The crowd demanded their release, while the officers tell people to “shut up”. As the pair are taken away, officers hit the crowd with batons, and the crowd throws things at them.
At Pedder Street, police take over a footbridge and point a beanbag gun at a crowd, who hold up umbrellas as they retreat.
Police arrive near the Exchange Square and urge people to leave the scene, but an angry crowd shouts back: “Study more before you come to Central.”
1:39PM - Christmas tree set alight
The Christmas tree in Festival Walk, a shopping centre in Kowloon Tong, has been set on fire again by protesters hurling petrol bombs. It was set ablaze the night before. Firefighters arrive at the scene to put out the blaze, and the protesters responsible have already run away.
1:42PM - Protester shot by police released on bail
The two men arrested in connection with the police shooting in Sai Wan Ho on Monday are released on bail pending further investigation, police say.
According to police, the 21-year-old who was shot in the abdomen was arrested for attempting to snatch a police officer’s gun. The other suspect, 19, was arrested for unlawful assembly, attempting to snatch a police officer’s gun, and possessing an instrument fit for unlawful purpose.
Police say the pair are required to report back to police later this month.
1:51PM - Top official calls for independent inquiry
Deputy to the National People’s Congress Michael Tien Puk-sun says he will write to Chinese Vice-Premier Han Zheng, who is in charge of Hong Kong affairs, reflecting on the needs to set up a commission of inquiry – which he believes is the only way to solve the ongoing crisis.
He says the international experts appointed by Carrie Lam have already pinpointed the constraints of the Independent Police Complaints Commission, and Lam should not wait.
“It is pointless for us to wait ... Lam should now pledge that a commission will be set up and start working as long as chaos is settled,” he says. “If we drag that on, violence of both sides will only escalate and it is only wishful thinking for the government to curb violence.”
He believes most citizens do not insist on the so-called five demands, but 80 per cent, as reflected in a previous survey, back an independent commission of inquiry.
1:55PM - Multiple arrests in Central
A large number of arrests are made in Central after police, including special tactical squad officers, chase and subdue protesters. They block Pedder Street using their shields and prevent journalists from filming the arrests.
Using a megaphone, one officer, tells passers-by: “Leave quickly. You are not shopping here now.”
2:00PM - Heavy damage at MTR station
University MTR station, which is located at Chinese University in Sha Tin, has been badly damaged by protesters.
The station, which is a busy point for people going in and out of the university, is in ruins, and the nearby bus station is empty and silent. Roads leading to the station are blocked, and an alleyway that allows people to walk between the bus station, and the unviversity campus is littered with items like long bamboo sticks, umbrellas, and other debris.
The gate at the main entrance of the station is broken and charred, while a Maxim’s cafe, which has been one of the targets of protesters in past demonstrations, is also severely damaged.
2:05PM - Banks close 250 branches as protests sweep city
Hong Kong banks shut a record 250 branches on Wednesday as a result of the traffic chaos sweeping the city.
One in five branches of the 18 major banks, including all three note-issuing banks in the city, HSBC, Standard Chartered Bank, and Bank of China (Hong Kong), are closing their doors for the day.
“In view of special traffic conditions, some bank branches in various districts in Hong Kong are closed today and services are suspended,” the Hong Kong Association of Banks says in a statement, apologising for the inconvenience caused to customers.
2:07PM - District councillors arrested
Sha Tin district councillor Yau Man-chun says two pro-democracy camp councillors, Wong Hok-Lai and Chiu Chu-long, were arrested after tending to constituents into the early hours of Wednesday at Chinese University.
“At the moment it seems they were arrested for illegal assembly,” Yau says.
2:26PM - Lecturer hit by water cannon
Chinese University lecturer and journalist Vivian Tam Wai-wan says she was hit by a police water cannon on Tuesday 12 night.
Tam says she was with other journalists covering the clash between police and protesters on a bridge at the Sha Tin campus when the incident happened, and says there was not sufficient warning.
“There was no room for us to retreat, unless we were to jump off the bridge,” Tam says.
The blue-dye, laced with an irritant, that the cannon fires, can still be seen on Tam’s skin and clothing
2:30PM - Emotions running high in Central
Police in Central are putting those arrested into a police vehicle as they sealed off Pedder Street, and shops in the area, including Marks & Spencer, Audemars Piguet and Swarovski, are closed.
Officers have opened the section of Queen’s Road Central they previously closed off. But before that, a man calls them a “disgrace to the uniform you are wearing”.
2:34PM - Schools should close on Friday 15 too, association says
The Hong Kong Association of the Heads of Secondary Schools wants the Education Bureau to suspend school on Friday as well.
The call comes after the government announces that schools will be closed on Thursday 14, and the association notes more than 100 students were absent or late because of traffic disruption and road conditions over the past two days. In some cases, more than 300 pupils were affected.
“In some schools situated under the impact of confrontational events, teachers and students had their lessons amidst the tear gas,” it says.
2:36PM - University closing for rest of the week
Polytechnic University announces all classes will be cancelled for the rest of this week “for the safety of PolyU students and staff”. Individual departments will offer online learning support for students according to their needs, a spokeswoman says.
2:45PM - Protesters look to block major roads
Graffiti which reads, “would you only realise you can actually go on strike until a whole generation of young people died?” has been spray-painted on a Bank of Communications branch in Central. Meanwhile, scores of office workers have continued to march in the area as they chant “fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong”.
Meanwhile, police retreat along Connaught Road Central, and protesters move in trying to block Pedder Street and Des Voeux Road Central with bricks.
2:49PM - MTR update: services resuming
MTR services are gradually returning to normal. The Tsuen Wan Line has re-opened after shutting more than two hours ago, but trains will not stop at Mong Kok station, which remains closed.
Service on the entire East Rail line remains suspended, while trains are not running between Tuen Mun and Siu Hong on the West Rail line, between Sunny Bay and Tung Chung on the Tung Chung line, and between Tseung Kwan O and Po Lam on the Tseung Kwan O line.
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