Myanmar junta cuts internet, protesters say they will not surrender

Opponents of military rule in Myanmar marched and laid bouquets of flowers on Friday while trying to find alternative ways to organize their campaign of dissent after the authorities cut off most users from the internet.

Protests have taken place almost daily since the military overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1. Hundreds of civilians have been killed in a crackdown by security forces that has drawn international condemnation.

On Friday, security forces opened fire at a rally near Myanmar's second city Mandalay, wounding four people, two critically, according to three domestic media organizations.

In the town of Tamu on the Indian border, a policemen who supported the democracy movement was killed in a clash with security forces, the Monywa Gazette reported.

The authorities, who had already shut down mobile data in a bid to stifle the opposition to the ruling junta, ordered internet providers from Friday to cut wireless broadband, depriving most customers of access.

In response, pro-democracy groups shared radio frequencies, offline apps that work without a data connection, and tips for using SMS messages as an alternative to data services to communicate.

"In the following days, there are street protests. Do as many guerrilla strikes as you can. Please join," Khin Sadar, a protest leader, said on Facebook in anticipation of the internet blackout, referring to quick protests in unexpected places that break up when the security forces appear.

"Let's listen to the radio again. Let's make phone calls to each other too."

The military did not announce or explain its order to providers to cut wireless broadband. Internet was available only on fixed lines, rare in Myanmar where most homes and businesses connect through wireless networks.

A spokesman for the junta did not answer telephone calls seeking comment.

Despite the internet shutdown, users were still able to upload pictures of marches, "flower strikes" and a funeral of a slain protester.

An image shared widely on social media showed a bird's eye view of hundreds of flickering candles on a dark road, spelling out the words "we will never surrender."

Across the country, demonstrators left bouquets, many with messages of defiance, at places associated with activists killed by the security forces.

People held up roses while making three-finger salutes, a symbol of resistance. One arrangement of dandelions and red roses on a lakeside walkway read: "Myanmar is bleeding."

More than 540 people have been killed in the uprising, many of them when troops fired on crowds, according to the Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) advocacy group, which is tracking casualties and detentions.

In the commercial hub Yangon, a Myanmar employee of South Korea's Shinhan Bank died on Friday after being shot in the head while traveling in a minibus two days earlier, the bank said. It was discussing the situation with the government.

The military has said those killed instigated the violence. It says it staged the coup because an election in November -- won by Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy -- was rigged and the election commission failed to heed its complaints. The commission and many international bodies have dismissed that assertion.

Suu Kyi, a longtime democracy campaigner who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, is being held in detention.

She and four allies have been charged with violating a colonial-era official secrets act, her chief lawyer said on Thursday, the most serious charge filed against her. Violations are punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

The security forces have also arrested numerous suspected opponents of the coup. The Myanmar Now news portal said five women who spoke to a visiting CNN news crew on the streets of Yangon this week had been taken away by security men.

CHINA TALKS

Western countries have condemned the coup and some have imposed limited sanctions. But neither China nor India, which compete for influence, have denounced Suu Kyi's overthrow.

Myanmar's neighbors in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have traditionally been reluctant to criticize their fellow member under a principle of non-interference. But there is growing dismay with a country that has for decades raised international concerns over its domestic repression.

Several Southeast Asian foreign ministers met separately this week with a senior official in China, which is a major investor in Myanmar and one of the few countries able to influence the generals, to seek its backing for a bid to find a path out of the crisis.

"China... supports the convening of a special meeting of ASEAN leaders to mediate as soon as possible," the Chinese government's top diplomat, Wang Yi, said after talks with Malaysian foreign minister Hishammuddin Hussein.

Adding to the chaos in the former British colony, hostilities between the armed forces and ethnic minority insurgents have broken out in at least two regions.

-reuters-

US Capitol police officer dies of injuries in riot by Trump supporters

US Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick has died of injuries suffered during a riot led by supporters of President Donald Trump, the force said in a statement late on Thursday.

Wednesday's breach of the building was a stunning assault on American democracy at a time when Congress was certifying the victory of President-elect Joe Biden.

"Officer Sicknick was responding to the riots...and was injured while physically engaging with protesters," police said in a statement.

He succumbed on Thursday after being taken to hospital following his collapse upon returning to his divisional office, they added.

Metropolitan homicide officials will investigate the death of Sicknick, who joined the US Capitol Police in 2008, along with the USCP and its federal partners, police said.

Trump condemned the violence, saying rioters had defiled the seat of American democracy and must be held accountable. Critics and some world leaders have said he is to blame for the attack by his supporters on the US capitol. He had been claiming election fraud without proof. 

Among the four more killed were a woman demonstrator shot by authorities.

-reuters-

From settlement to counselling, Taiwan promises help for fleeing Hong Kongers

TAIPEI — Taiwan on Thursday promised to settle Hong Kongers who flee the Chinese-ruled city due to political reasons, offering help from employment to counselling as China pushes new security legislation that has triggered fresh protests.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen this week became the first world leader to pledge specific measures to help people from Hong Kong who may leave the former British colony due to the new legislation, a move that is certain to sour already poor ties between Taipei and Beijing.

Chen Ming-tong, head of Taiwan's top China-policy maker, the Mainland Affairs Council, told parliament the government will establish an organization to deliver "humanitarian relief" that includes settlement and employment in a joint effort with activists groups.

He said counselling services will also be available for Hong Kongers, some of whom may take part in increasingly violent pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.

"Many Hong Kongers want to come to Taiwan. Our goal is to give them settlement and care," Chen said, urging the public not use the word "refugee" as it could be "emotionally harmful" for people from the city.

Chen, however, did not give details such as scale, timing and qualification of the relief program when pressed by lawmakers, saying the government is still working on the details.

Hong Kong's demonstrators have won widespread sympathy in democratic Taiwan, which China considers as its territory to be taken by force, if necessary. Taiwan has shown no interest in being ruled by autocratic China. 


Help for Hong Kong has won rare bipartisan support in politically polarized Taiwan and 3 opposition parties have introduced bills to make it easier for Hong Kongers to live in Taiwan if they have to leave the city due to political reasons. 

Taiwan has no law on refugees that could be applied to protesters seeking asylum, but its laws promise to help Hong Kongers whose safety and liberty are threatened for political reasons.

Some say Tsai's government is not moving fast enough.

"Please come up with details of the humanitarian relief at the soonest. Don't wait until people shed blood like water," said Chen Yu-jen, a lawmaker from main opposition Kuomintang party. 

Ivan Tang, a Hong Kong pro-democracy activist, welcomed Tsai's support but cautioned a sense of urgency among protesters in the city, some of whom had been barred from entering Taiwan due to travel restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"They have nowhere to go... but the security law could be implemented soon," he said.

Taiwan has become a popular destination for Hong Kongers leaving the city, with the number of Hong Kong citizens granted Taiwan residency jumping 150 percent to 2,383 in the first 4 months of 2020 compared with a year ago, official data shows.

University applications to Taiwan from Hong Kong also rose 62 percent in 2020 from a year ago, and island's education ministry said this week it was planning to raise the quota for Hong Kong students. 

-reuters-

Calm broken as clashes break out in Hong Kong malls

HONG KONG - Hong Kong police used pepper spray and made multiple arrests on Sunday as small groups of black-clad pro-democracy protesters targeted some of the city's malls, ending a rare lull in violence.

Flashmob protests and vandalism broke out in multiple locations, prompting riot police to use pepper spray and make arrests in at least two shopping centers as members of the public heckled the officers.

AFP reporters in a Sha Tin mall saw a secondary school girl and a 16-year-old boy arrested, the pair shouting out their details as officers led them away.

Earlier in the afternoon an elderly woman was knocked over in the same mall after a fight broke out when a shopper tried to stop protesters from spraying graffiti.

Masked activists had also trashed restaurants run by Maxim's, a catering giant owned by a tycoon that has become a frequent target because his daughter has criticized the pro-democracy movement.

The skirmishes are the first to break out in three weeks.

Hong Kong has been upended by six months of massive pro-democracy protests that have seen violent battles between police and hardcore demonstrators, as well as regular transport disruption.

The past month had seen a lull in the violence and vandalism after pro-democracy parties won a landslide in local council elections.

Last Sunday an estimated 800,000 marched peacefully through the streets.

But public anger remains as Beijing and city leader Carrie Lam show no sign of giving further concessions despite the election success. 

Lam is currently in Beijing for an annual visit and is set to meet President Xi Jinping on Monday. 

The protests were ignited by a now scrapped plan to allow extraditions to the authoritarian mainland but have since morphed into a revolt against Chinese rule.

Among the movement's demands is an independent inquiry into the police and fully free elections.

In a separate protest, around 1,000 people waving Chinese flags rallied in a park on Sunday afternoon in support of the city's police force.

Coupled with the trade war, the protests have hammered the economy and helped tip the city into recession as tourists stay way.

Hong Kong's airport on Sunday reported its steepest drop in passengers in a decade -- down 16 percent in November compared to the same month the year before.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Hong Kong democrats romp to local election landslide after months of protests

HONG KONG - Hong Kong's democrats romped to a landslide and symbolic majority in district council elections after residents turned out in record numbers on Sunday to vote following six months of anti-government protests in the embattled city.

In a rare weekend lull in the unrest that has rocked the financial hub, democratic candidates across the city of 7.4 million people secured more than half of the 452 district council seats for the first time against a strongly resourced and mobilized pro-establishment opposition.

When the results began trickling in after midnight, including upset wins for democrats against heavyweight pro-Beijing opponents, some voting centers erupted in loud cheers and chants of "Liberate Hong Kong. Revolution Now" - a slogan used by many protesters on the streets over the past six months.

Some winning candidates said the result was akin to a vote of support for the demonstrators and could raise the heat on Hong Kong's pro-Beijing chief executive, Carrie Lam, amid the city's worst political crisis in decades.

"This is the power of democracy. This is a democratic tsunami," said Tommy Cheung, a former student protest leader who won a seat in the Yuen Long district close to China's border.

The voting ended with no major disruptions in a day that saw massive, though orderly, queues form outside voting centers.

Pro-democracy candidates had secured a clear majority by 8.00 a.m. (midnight GMT Sunday) with 333 of 452 seats, compared with 52 for the pro-establishment camp, according to media estimates. Democrats only secured around 100 seats at the previous polls four years ago.

Almost 3 million people voted, a record turnout of more than 71 percent that appeared to have been spurred by the turmoil, almost double the number last time.

Hong Kong's district councils control some spending and decide a range of livelihood issues such as transport. They also serve as an important grassroots platform to radiate political influence in the China-ruled city.

"PATH OF STRUGGLE"

"I believe this result is because there are a lot of voters who hope to use this election and their vote to show their support for the (protest) movement, and their five demands, and their dissatisfaction with the Hong Kong government," said former student leader Lester Shum, who won a seat.

The protesters' demands include full democracy, as well as an independent inquiry into perceived police brutality.

"The district council is just one very important path of struggle. In future, we must find other paths of struggle to keep fighting," Shum said.

The state-run China Daily newspaper said in an editorial on Monday the election "will hopefully have served as an opportunity to return the city to normal".

"The relative tranquility the city enjoyed since several days before the election suggests all stakeholders regarded it as an opportunity to air their views."

Demonstrators are angry at what they see as Chinese meddling in the freedoms promised to the former British colony when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997. They say they are also responding to perceived police brutality.

China denies interfering and says it is committed to the "one country, two systems" formula for the autonomy of Hong Kong put in place in 1997. Police say they have shown restraint in the face of potentially deadly attacks.

Jimmy Sham, a leader of the Civil Human Rights Front, which organised some of the anti-government rallies, won his electoral contest, as did Kelvin Lam, who stood in after prominent activist Joshua Wong was barred from running.

A number of pro-Beijing heavyweights including Junius Ho, whose abrasive public comments have made him a hate-figure among many protesters, lost to pro-democracy challengers. He described it on Facebook as "an exceptional election, and an unusual result".

The protests started over a now-withdrawn extradition bill that would have allowed people to be sent to mainland China for trial but rapidly evolved into calls for full democracy, posing the biggest populist challenge to Chinese President Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Hong Kong democrats score landslide victory in local elections amid political crisis

* Pro-democracy camp takes majority district seats for first time

* Elections seen as test for Hong Kong chief Carrie Lam

* Record turnout of more than 71% - electoral chief 

HONG KONG - Pro-democracy candidates in Hong Kong romped to a landslide and symbolic majority in district council elections after residents turned out in record numbers on Sunday to vote following six months of anti-government protests in the embattled city.

In a rare weekend lull in the unrest that has embroiled the financial hub, democratic candidates across the city of 7.4 million secured more than half of the 452 district council seats for the first time, against a strongly resourced and mobilized pro-establishment opposition.

Hong Kong's district councils control some spending and decide a range of local livelihood issues such as transport, and they also serve as an important grassroots platform to radiate political influence in the city ruled by communist China.

Some winning candidates said the result was akin to a vote of support for the protest movement, and could raise the pressure on Hong Kong's pro-Beijing chief executive, Carrie Lam, amid the city's worst political crisis in decades.

"This is the power of democracy. This is a democratic tsunami," said Tommy Cheung, a former student protest leader who won a seat in the Yuen Long district close to China's border.

Initial results from the voting, which ended with no major disruptions in a day that saw massive queues form outside many voting centers, began to trickle in after midnight.

Many people clamored to vote early, fearful that possible disruptions would lead to voting centers closing early.

As of 5:00 a.m. (2100 GMT), pro-democracy candidates had secured a majority with at least 283 seats, compared to about 32 seats for the pro-establishment camp, according to local media estimates. A record 1,104 candidates were vying for 452 seats.

Electoral affairs chief Barnabus Fung said at least 2.94 million people voted, a record turnout of more than 71% that appeared to have been spurred by the turmoil. About 1.47 million voted in the last district elections four years ago.

"The performance of the pro-democracy camp will send a signal to Beijing," said Andrew Li, a 22-year-old student who supported a pro-democracy candidate. "By ignoring people's demands, it wakes up all Hong Kong people to come out and vote."

FORMAL CONFRONTATION

Demonstrators are angry at what they see as Chinese meddling in the freedoms promised to the former British colony when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997. They say they are also responding to perceived police brutality.

China denies interfering and says it is committed to the "one country, two systems" formula for the autonomy of Hong Kong. Police say they have shown restraint in the face of potentially deadly attacks.

Jimmy Sham, a candidate for the Civil Human Rights Front, which organised some of the anti-government rallies, won his electoral contest and said the turnout should be a sign to the government that it should listen to their voices.

"This election is special because it is a formal confrontation between pro-establishment and pro-democracy parties after months of unrest caused by the misstep of government," he said, standing on crutches weeks after he was beaten by men with hammers during a rally in October.

"It is a victory for the people of Hong Kong."

Other successful pro-democracy candidates included Lester Shum, a former student leader of the umbrella movement in 2014, and Kelvin Lam, who stood in after activist Joshua Wong was barred from running.

A number of pro-Beijing heavyweights including Junius Ho, an incumbent injured in a knife attack this month, lost to a pro-democracy challenger. In a message on his Facebook page, Ho said it had been an "exceptional year, an exceptional election, and an unusual result".

Some veteran pro-Beijing politicians, who have been shoo-ins in previous polls, attributed their losses to the broader discontent.

"Our loss is not because of our work in the local districts, it’s because of the political sentiment," said Horace Cheung, who noted he received 500 more votes this year than four years ago, but still lost.

CAMPUS STANDOFF

Casting her ballot, Hong Kong's chief executive Lam, who is backed by Beijing, pledged that her government would listen more intensively to the views of district councils.

"I hope this kind of stability and calm is not only for today's election, but to show that everyone does not want Hong Kong to fall into a chaotic situation again," Lam said.

The protests started over a now-withdrawn extradition bill that would have allowed people to be sent to mainland China for trial but rapidly evolved into calls for full democracy, posing the biggest popular challenge to Chinese President Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012.

The protests have at times forced the closure of government, businesses and schools as police used tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon in response to petrol bombs and rocks.

The run-up to the election was marked by attacks on candidates, with Ho stabbed and wounded and another having part of his ear bitten off.

Sunday was also the seventh day of a standoff at Polytechnic University, whose campus has been surrounded by police as some protesters hid out on the grounds.

"The government needs to know that if they don't answer our demands, we will continue demanding and the protests will not stop," said a 26-year-old pro-democracy voter who gave her name as Cda.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Hong Kong district council elections begin peacefully on Sunday morning

HONG KONG - Voting at district council elections in Hong Kong began peacefully on Sunday morning, with no signs of a major police presence at polling booths monitored by Reuters despite nearly six months of sometimes violent unrest in the Chinese-controlled city.

Brutal attacks on candidates have thrust Hong Kong's lowest-tier government onto the international stage, with the district elections seen as an important barometer of support for leader Carrie Lam's embattled administration.

The South China Morning Post on Friday, citing a senior police source, said riot police for the first time would guard all polling stations and almost all officers in the 31,000 strong force would be on duty.

But Reuters witnesses at the rural district of Yuen Long near the Chinese border, Taikoo Shing on Hong Kong island, Wong Tai Sin in Kowloon and in the New Territories town of Sha Tin said there was little obvious police presence as voting was about to start at 7:30 a.m. Sunday.

Chan, 31, who was in front of the queue at the Fung Kam Sports Centre in Yuen Long said she came early because she was expecting a big turnout.

"I have not seen an election like this before, but because of the situation it is important to vote .. .and I know many people feel like me," said Chan, who works in sales.

She said she grew up in Yuen Long but did not want to reveal any political allegiances. As she spoke, election officials prepared the ballot box in the middle of a basketball court. A lone police officer watched them.

The Fung Kam polling station is one of the closest to the Yuen Long railway station where suspected triad gangsters attacked anti-government protesters and commuters on July 21.

A record 1,104 people are running for 452 district seats and a record 4.1 million Hong Kong people have enrolled to vote for district councilors, who control some local spending, and whose daily decisionmaking spans a range of neighborhood issues including recycling, transport and public healthcare.

Some of the seats that were once uncontested, and dominated by pro-Beijing candidates, are now being fought for by young pro-democracy activists.

One of the candidates running in Sha Tin is Jimmy Sham of Civil Human Rights Front, organizer of some of the mass anti-government rallies in recent months who was beaten by men with hammers in October.

The protests started over a now-withdrawn bill that would have allowed people to be sent to China for trial, but which soon evolved into calls for full democracy, posing the biggest popular challenge to Chinese President Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012.

U.S. national security adviser Robert O'Brien said on Saturday that an initial trade agreement with China is still possible by the end of the year, but warned Washington would not turn a blind eye to what happens in Hong Kong.

The comments add to growing worries that a Chinese crackdown on anti-government protests in Hong Kong could further complicate the efforts by the United States and China to end a prolonged trade war that has roiled global markets and undercut global economic growth forecasts. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Protesters set fire to hold off police at Hong Kong campus

HONG KONG, China- Pro-democracy demonstrators holed up in a Hong Kong university campus set the main entrance ablaze Monday after police surrounding the building warned they may use live rounds, deepening fears over how nearly 6 months of unrest across the city will end. 

The violence extended a dangerous new phase of the crisis, which over the past week has seen schools shut down, roads barricaded and Chinese soldiers briefly leave their local barracks to clean up streets. 

China has refused to budge on any of the protesters' key demands, which include free elections for the city of 7.5 million people.

China has instead repeatedly warned it will not tolerate any dissent, and concerns are growing it could intervene militarily to quell the unrest.

On Monday several loud blasts were heard around dawn before a wall of fire lit up an entrance to the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), AFP reporters said, as what appeared to be a police attempt to enter the campus was repelled by protesters determined to hold their ground.

Police said they had fired 3 live rounds in the early hours of Monday at a protest site near the university but that no one appeared to have been hit.

INTENSE CLASHES

Intense clashes on Sunday, which saw a police officer hit in the leg by an arrow and protesters meet police tear gas with volleys of petrol bombs, rolled overnight across the Kowloon district, as a call went out to defend the besieged campus.

There, protesters had hunkered down under umbrellas from occasional fire from police water cannon and hurled Molotov cocktails at an armored vehicle, leaving it ablaze on a flyover near the campus.

Police declared the campus a "riot" scene -- rioting is punishable by up to 10 years in jail -- and blocked exits as spokesman Louis Lau issued a stark warning in a Facebook live broadcast.

"I hereby warn rioters not to use petrol bombs, arrows, cars or any deadly weapons to attack police officers," he said.

"If they continue such dangerous actions, we would have no choice but to use the minimum force necessary, including live rounds, to fire back."

Hong Kong police routinely carry sidearms, but until now they have only used them in isolated incidents during running street clashes with protestors. Three people have been shot, none of them fatally. 

Faced with large groups throwing bricks and Molotov cocktails, the police have mostly relied on tear gas, water cannon, and rubber bullets as dispersal tools, but the new warning suggests a more active use of live rounds to counter the unrest.

'HELPLESS'

Fear gripped protesters still inside the campus -- whose occupation is a twist in tactics by a leaderless movement so far defined by its fluid, unpredictable nature.

One 19-year-old, who gave her name as "K", said there was desperation among the 200 demonstrators she estimated remained.

"Some people were crying badly, some were furious, some agonizing because they felt hopeless as we were left no way out of the campus.

"We don’t know when the police will storm in."

A few hundred meters from the campus, protesters erected barricades in the Tsim Sha Tsui and Jordan areas.

One 16-year-old, who gave his name as Joshua, said it was an attempt to draw police attention away from the university.

'BLOSSOM EVERYWHERE'

The nearly 6 months of unrest has rocked previously stable Hong Kong, tipping the international financial hub into recession and frightening off tourists.

What began as a series of mostly peaceful demonstrations against a now-shelved bill to allow extradition to the Chinese mainland has morphed into wider calls for democracy and an inquiry into alleged police brutality.

Violence has worsened this month, with two men killed in separate incidents. 

Demonstrators last week engineered a "Blossom Everywhere" campaign of blockades and vandalism, which forced the police to draft in prison officers as reinforcements, shut down sections of Hong Kong's transport network and closed schools and shopping malls.

Chinese President Xi Jinping last week issued his most strident comments on the crisis, saying it threatened the "one country, two systems" model under which Hong Kong has been ruled since the 1997 handover from Britain.

Chinese state media remains robustly hostile to the demonstrations, and frequently urges Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam to brook no compromise.

On Saturday dozens of soldiers from Chinese People's Liberation Army briefly left their Hong Kong barracks to help clean-up the streets.

It was a rare and symbolic operation, as the troops are normally confined to barracks and are meant to be only called out in a time of emergency.

Chinese defense ministry spokesman Wu Qian on Monday defended the clean-up operation, as he repeated warnings from Beijing that the military had the capabilities to quell the unrest.

"Ending violence and restoring order is the most pressing task we have in Hong Kong," Wu said in Bangkok.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Hong Kong police warn of 'live fire' as campus protest siege deepens

HONG KONG - Hong Kong police Monday warned for the first time in months of unrest that they may use "live rounds" after pro-democracy protesters fired arrows and threw petrol bombs at officers at a besieged university campus, as the crisis engulfing the city sharply escalated. 

Protests have tremored through the global financial hub since June, with many in the city of 7.5 million people venting fury at eroding freedoms under Chinese rule.

China has repeatedly warned that it will not tolerate the dissent, and there have been concerns that Beijing could send in troops to put an end to the spiraling unrest.

A day of intense, rolling clashes on Sunday, which saw a police officer struck in the leg by an arrow and protesters meet police tear gas with volleys of petrol bombs, worsened as night fell.

Clashes spilled across Kowloon, with the epicenter around the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), where scores of defiant demonstrators set large fires to prevent police from conducting a threatened raid on the campus.

They hunkered down under umbrellas from occasional fire from water cannon and hurled Molotov cocktails at an armored police vehicle, leaving it ablaze on a flyover near the campus.

Police declared the campus a "riot" scene -- a rioting conviction carries up to 10 years in jail -- and blocked exits as spokesman Louis Lau issued a stark warning in a Facebook live broadcast.

"I hereby warn rioters not to use petrol bombs, arrows, cars or any deadly weapons to attack police officers," he said.

"If they continue such dangerous actions, we would have no choice but to use the minimum force necessary, including live rounds, to fire back."

Three protesters have been shot by police in the unrelenting months of protests, but all in scuffles as chaotic street clashes played out -- and without a sweeping warning being given by a force which overwhelmingly depends on tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets.

Fear gripped protesters still trapped on Monday inside the campus -- whose occupation is a twist in tactics by a leaderless movement so far defined by its fluid, unpredictable nature.

"I feel scared. There's no way out, all I can do is fight to the end," said one protester joining the barricade in front of the university building.

Owen Li, a PolyU council member and student, said "panic" had taken hold of the estimated few hundred protesters who remained.

"Many friends feel helpless... we appeal to all of society to come out and help us."

Throughout Sunday, activists parried attempts by police to break through into the campus, firing rocks from a homemade catapult from the university roof, while an AFP reporter saw a team of masked archers -- several carrying sports bows -- patrolling the site.

Violence has worsened in recent days, with two men killed in separate incidents linked to the protests this month. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping this week issued his most strident comments on the crisis, saying it threatened the "one country, two systems" model under which Hong Kong has been ruled since the 1997 handover from Britain.

'Squeeze the economy' 

Demonstrators last week engineered a "Blossom Everywhere" campaign of blockades and vandalism, which forced the police to draft in prison officers as reinforcements, shut down large chunks of Hong Kong's transport network and closed schools and shopping malls.

The movement, characterized by its fluidity and unpredictability, has started to coagulate in fixed locations, showing the protesters' ability to switch tactics.

The protests started against a now-shelved bill to allow extradition to China but have billowed to encompass wider issues such as perceived police brutality and calls for universal suffrage in the former British colony.

The financial hub has been nudged into a recession by the unrelenting turmoil.

A poster circulating on social media called for the "dawn action" to continue on Monday. 

"Squeeze the economy to increase pressure," it said.

Divided city

Earlier on Sunday, dozens of government supporters gathered to clear barricades near the university campus -- a sign of the divisions slicing through the city.

Many residents are wearied by the sapping protests. Others support the Chinese-backed city government.

Some applauded a Saturday clean-up by Chinese troops from a garrison of the People's Liberation Army in Kowloon.

The garrison is usually confined to the barracks under Hong Kong's mini-constitution, although it can be deployed at the request of the city's government to help with public order breakdown or natural disasters.

Hong Kong's government, which presides over a city that enjoys greater freedoms than the mainland, said it did not ask the PLA for help on Saturday.

The choreographed troop movement "has only compounded the impression that Beijing has simply ignored" Hong Kong's unique political system, said analyst Dixon Sing.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Anger, guilt stir Hong Kong's white collar rebels

HONG KONG -- Driven by anger at the authorities' response to massive protests - and guilt that the burden of defending democracy has fallen on the city's youth - a white collar rebellion is rippling out across Hong Kong.

Every day this week, thousands of office workers have downed tools for a few hours, responding to a call to strike in a cheekily named "Lunch With You" rally. 

Faces masked, hands held aloft, many in crisp shirts -- some in suits -- they chanted pro-democracy slogans and blocked roads in business districts normally characterized by a tunnel-vision for commerce, risking arrest in a rally not sanctioned by police. 

On Monday and Tuesday, they crouched under umbrellas, as police lobbed tear gas through Central, the city's financial heart, clouds drifting across the shopfronts of designer stores.

By Friday, deskbound workers deployed the tactics of street protest -- including the swift formation of two lines creating a channel for black-clad "braves" to run through carrying bricks in anticipation of a police crackdown.

"The least we can do is give up our lunchtime to come out and protest the government," said 33-year-old lawyer Jansen.

The white collar rebels share widespread anger at the now-shelved government plan to introduce a law allowing the extradition of criminal suspects to mainland China.

Many initially joined the peaceful mega-rallies sanctioned by police against the bill.

Older and employed in city jobs, they mainly identified as "moderates."

But as time has passed, attitudes have calcified.

Violence against young frontline protesters, a government deaf to demands for greater democracy and a lack of police accountability has brought white-collar workers to the streets with renewed conviction.

"We keep going to work every day like nothing is happening, no matter how many students are getting injured. But I can't bear to go on like this," said a 26-year-old office worker who gave his surname as Chan.

He was wearing heavy-duty workman's gloves and helping frontliners build a roadblock in Pedder Street -- one of the city's most exclusive shopping areas and moments from its major banks. 

"I've always been in the peaceful, rational, non-violent camp. But a lot has changed," he said.

Protesters fear Hong Kong's freedoms, unique within China, are in danger. 

That has thrown the city's narrative of free market success and stability into perspective -- more so as the economy has tipped into recession.

"Some values in the community cannot be only measured in terms of money," said Lawrence, a 32-year-old suited finance professional. 

"What I sacrificed can never be compared with those youngsters' sacrifices," he said, adding that their "futures" are on the line.

The five-day strike, which saw the city's transport network targeted by roadblocks and vandalism and brought some of the most violent unrest yet, has stretched Hong Kong police.

It has also prodded rebellion from the greatest beneficiaries of Hong Kong's once hallowed reputation for peace and stability.

"If we're peaceful they don't listen," Ms. Lau, a 52-year-old entrepreneur said. 

"If you're violent they say it won't solve any problems."

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US senators push for vote on Hong Kong rights bill as violence rises

WASHINGTON - The chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee said on Tuesday he wanted the Senate to pass legislation to support pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, as violence rose in the Chinese-ruled city wracked by months of unrest.

Republican Senator Jim Risch noted that he is a co-sponsor and "strong proponent" of the "Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act," which would place Hong Kong's special treatment by the United States under tighter scrutiny.

"We want it moved," Risch said during a discussion on China at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives unanimously passed the bill in mid-October, drawing accusations from Beijing that the lawmakers had "sinister intentions."

Risch's Foreign Relations committee approved a similar measure in September, but it has not been scheduled for a vote by the full Senate, which must pass the bill before it can be sent to President Donald Trump. The White House, which is engaged in intense trade negotiations with China, has yet to say whether he would sign or veto it.

Police in Hong Kong battled pro-democracy protesters at several university campuses on Tuesday in sometimes savage clashes, as parts of the city were paralyzed including Hong Kong's central financial district, which was tear-gassed for a second day running.

Those flare-ups occurred a day after police shot an unarmed protester at close range and a man was doused with gasoline and set on fire in some of the worst violence since the protests began.

Risch and fellow Republican Senator Marco Rubio are to meet on Wednesday with Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to discuss the possibility of getting floor time for a vote on the bill, aides said.

"The world needs to see that the United States will stand up and say this is wrong, we stand with the people of Hong Kong," Risch said.

Asked of McConnell would allow a vote in the Senate, a spokesman pointed to his remarks in the Senate on Tuesday expressing concern about the violence.

"I’m eager to continue working with colleagues such as Senator Risch, Senator (Lindsey) Graham, Senator Rubio, and others toward a strong and procedurally workable solution," McConnell said.

The legislation has 37 Republican and Democratic co-sponsors in the 100-member Senate. Backers say it is expected to pass easily if McConnell schedules a vote.

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Hong Kong businessman pays almost $1 million for parking space

Hong Kong might be heading for recession after months of violent protests but that hasn't stopped one businessman from forking out almost $1 million for a parking spot.

The mind-boggling sum paid by Johnny Cheung Shun-yee highlights the gaping inequality that has helped fuel nearly 5 months of demonstrations in the financial hub, where one in five people live below the poverty line.

The HK$7.6 million ($970,000) price tag is more than 30 times the average annual wage in Hong Kong and about the same as a one-bed apartment in London's plush Chelsea area.

It is situated in The Center, the city's fifth-highest skyscraper, which hit the headlines in October 2017 when it became the world's most expensive office building after Hong Kong's richest man sold it for more than $5 billion.

The purchase comes even though there are growing concerns about the impact of the pro-democracy demonstrations on the city's real estate market with property firms' share prices plunging in recent months, as they are forced to offer discounts on new projects and cut office rents.

The economy has been tipped to grow just 0-1.0 percent this year, the worst rate since 2009 during the global financial crisis.

"A lot of those owners in The Center are in finance or in other high-growth businesses," Stanley Poon, a managing director at Centaline Commercial, said. "To these tycoons, it’s not a significant purchase if you compare it to the value of the office floors they own."

Hong Kong's white-hot property market has become a political issue as costs continue to soar, forcing some small businesses to close owing to sky-high rents while many residents cannot afford to buy or lease decent homes.

Commercial and residential property prices have been fueled by an influx of money from wealthy mainland Chinese investors and developers.

While the long-running protests in the city are fired mostly by anger at a now-dead extradition bill and hatred towards the government and police, they are also fanned by anger at the huge disparity between rich and poor.

Bloomberg News contributed to this story

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Hong Kong extradition bill officially killed, but move unlikely to end unrest

HONG KONG- Hong Kong's legislature on Wednesday formally withdrew planned legislation that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, but the move was unlikely to end months of unrest as it met just 1 of 5 demands of pro-democracy protesters.

The rallying cry of the protesters, who have trashed public buildings in the Chinese-ruled city, set street fires and thrown petrol bombs at police, has been "5 demands, not 1 less," meaning the withdrawal of the bill make no difference.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam had said many times the bill was as good as dead and said that other demands, including universal suffrage and an amnesty for all those charged with rioting, were beyond her control.

Protesters are also calling for her to stand down and for an independent inquiry into perceived police brutality during a long hot summer of running battles on the streets.

"There aren't any big differences between suspension and withdrawal (of the extradition bill)... It's too little, too late," said 27-year-old protester Connie, hours before the bill was withdrawn. 
"There are still other demands the government needs to meet, especially the problem of police brutality."

Police have responded to the violence with water cannon, tear gas, rubber bullets, and several live rounds.

Protesters are angry at what they see as Beijing encroaching on the former British colony's "1 country, 2 systems" formula enshrined during the handover in 1997, which permits the city wide-ranging freedoms not available on the mainland such as an independent judiciary.

The extradition bill would have allowed defendants charged with serious crimes to be sent for trial abroad, including to Communist Party-controlled courts in China.

The bill was seen as the latest move by Beijing to erode those freedoms. China has denied these claims and accuses foreign countries of fomenting trouble.

A murder suspect whose case Lam had originally held up as showing the need for the extradition bill walked free on Wednesday as the city's government squabbled with Taiwan over how to handle his potential voluntary surrender to authorities.

Chan Tong-kai, a Hong Kong citizen, was accused of murdering his girlfriend in Taiwan last year before fleeing back to the financial hub. Chan was arrested by Hong Kong police in March 2018 and authorities there were only able to find evidence against him for money laundering, for which he was sentenced to 29 months in prison.

Chan has offered to voluntarily surrender himself to Taiwan, but both Hong Kong and Taiwan have clashed over the next steps.

"There's no such thing as surrender," Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen told reporters. "There's only arrest... We will continue to ask for legal assistance from the Hong Kong government, including providing related evidence and to ask the Hong Kong government not to evade the matter."

Hong Kong Secretary for Security John Lee said Taiwan, which China claims as its own, was obstructing the case.

SPECULATION ABOUT LAM "WRONG"

China, which views Taiwan as a renegade province, has offered the "1 country, 2 systems" formula for it to unite with the mainland. 

Fiercely democratic Taiwan has rejected the offer with Tsai saying this month such an arrangement had set Hong Kong "on the edge of disorder."

China, which has many times expressed confidence in Lam and her government to end the unrest, was drawing up a plan to replace her with an "interim" chief executive, the Financial Times reported, citing people briefed on the deliberations.

Lam has become a lightning rod for protests and another of the protesters' demands has been for her to stand down.

The leading candidates to succeed Lam include Norman Chan, the former head of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, and Henry Tang, who has also served as the territory's financial secretary and chief secretary for administration, the report said.

A spokesman said Tang did not comment on speculation and that he supported Lam as chief executive.

A senior official in Beijing said the FT story was wrong and none of the suggested candidates listed in the story could possibly take over from Lam based on the Basic Law, Hong Kong's mini-constitution which came into force in 1997.

The law says that if the chief executive is unable to discharge his or her duties, such duties will be temporarily assumed by the Administrative Secretary, Financial Secretary or Secretary of Justice in that order, the official said. A new chief executive would be selected within 6 months, the law says.

But Beijing had prepared all kinds of contingency plans for different scenarios in Hong Kong, including Lam’s administration losing total control of the situation, the official said.

Over recent months, Beijing has set up a special team working from Shenzhen, just across the border from Hong Kong, to gather information and it acted as the major communication channel between Hong Kong and Beijing, according to 2 people familiar with the situation.

Lam’s office was authorized to talk to the team directly without going through Beijing’s Liaison Office, one of the people said.

The Liaison Office, the symbol of Chinese rule, was attacked and daubed with anti-China graffiti in July.

In September, in response to a Reuters report about a recording of Lam saying she would step down if she could, she said she had never asked the Chinese government to let her resign.

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Facebook's Zuckerberg criticizes TikTok for censoring protesters

WASHINGTON - Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday attacked the rapidly growing Chinese short-video app, saying it censored political protest, including in the United States.

While delivering an address on free speech at Georgetown University in Washington, Zuckerberg said Facebook social media platforms like WhatsApp were used by protesters and activists everywhere because of its encryption and privacy protection.

But "on TikTok, the Chinese app growing quickly around the world, mentions of these same protests are censored, even here in the US," he said.

TikTok denied China censors its content, saying it is "not influenced by any foreign government."

Facebook competes directly with TikTok, especially among younger audiences. The app enable users to create and share short singing and dancing videos that are set to well-known songs, with numerous special effect filters.

Zuckerberg, in a recently leaked recording of him speaking with company employees, noted that TikTok was the first successful Chinese internet product worldwide. "It's starting to do well in the US, especially with young folks."

Zuckerberg's Thursday comments came just 2 weeks after Senator Marco Rubio asked a US national security panel to review TikTok owner Beijing ByteDance Technology Co Ltd's acquisition of Musical.ly Inc, arguing TikTok is used by the Chinese government to censor politically sensitive content.

In a letter requesting the review, Rubio noted that despite Hong Kong protests dominating international headlines for months, "the app only had a few videos" of the protests.

Rubio said Chinese-owned apps "are increasingly being used to censor content and silence open discussion on topics deemed sensitive by the Chinese Government and Communist Party."

ByteDance is one of China's fastest growing startups. It owns the country's leading news aggregator, Jinri Toutiao, as well as TikTok, which has attracted celebrities like Ariana Grande and Katy Perry along with legions of US teenagers.

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Dior apologizes for China map excluding Taiwan

BEIJING - Luxury brand Dior has become the latest company to apologize to China over a perceived insult to national sovereignty, saying Thursday it "cherishes the feelings of the Chinese people."

The French luxury brand found itself in hot water after using a map of China which did not include Taiwan, a self-ruled island which Beijing views as part of its territory awaiting reunification.

The scandal broke after a student posted an anonymous video to the Chinese social media app Weibo, purporting to show a presentation Wednesday at Zhejiang Gongshang University, in eastern China.

In the video a presenter from Dior displays a map without the island of Taiwan marked, which quickly drew criticism online and prompted Dior to deny that it represented the brand's position.

"Dior always respects and maintains the principle of One China, strictly upholds China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and cherishes the feelings of the Chinese people," the French brand said in a statement.

"The company has started to investigate seriously and promised to deal with it severely," Dior's statement read.

By Thursday afternoon, the hashtag "Dior apologizes" had more than 250 million views.

China reacts strongly to any brand that appears to insult its territorial sovereignty.

"Haven't we talked about this many times this year? It's definitely intentional," one netizen posted on Weibo.

A number of companies and international airlines have edited their websites to refer to the democratic island of Taiwan as "Taiwan, China" or "Chinese Taipei."

Hotel chain Marriott's website in China was shut down by authorities for a week in 2018 after a customer questionnaire listed Taiwan, Tibet and Hong Kong as separate countries, prompting the hotel chain to apologize and change the wording.

Brands that appear to support the unrest in Hong Kong have also faced consumer ire, including the territory's flagship carrier Cathay.

Jewellery brand Tiffany removed an advert showing a woman covering one eye earlier this month, after Chinese consumers accused the company of supporting protesters by referencing a well known injury.

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Amid gleaming skyscrapers, Hong Kong's poor set aside hardships and join protests

HONG KONG - Just before midnight in Hong Kong's Mong Kok district, a slight man in his seventies peels away from a crowd of protesters jeering at police. Behind him, a young woman calls out, "Be safe!"

They make an improbable pair: she a smartly dressed 24-year-old; he an elderly activist who has for decades been sleeping on the streets of one of the wealthiest – and most unequal – cities on earth.

Bringing the two together is a movement that began in June with protests against a bill that would have allowed extradition to mainland China. The proposed legislation has since been withdrawn.

The demonstrations have since spiraled into a struggle over the future of the Chinese-ruled city that has drawn people from a broad cross-section of society. Some live on the breadline, but they have set aside their grievances to support a movement they hope will secure a better future for all.

"Even though we are poor, we still support the 5 demands," said the 73-year-old, Lou Tit-Man, referring to a 5-point agenda that includes calls for universal suffrage and for hundreds of arrested protesters to be pardoned.

While others organize on encrypted apps like Telegram, Lou Tit-Man follows news of the demonstrations on his shortwave radio, one of the few possessions he has managed to keep from thieves, along with a mask picked up after one scuffle.

Known locally as "Iron Man", a play on his Chinese name and reputation for resilience, he spent 4 months in jail during the 2014 "Umbrella Movement" that paralyzed the city but failed to win major concessions from Beijing.

In his shirt pocket he carries a crumpled copy of an article about him in a local newspaper, relating how he spent his government subsidies to buy food and water for the mostly young protesters.

"I want the next generation to have a better life," he said, "I put all my heart and soul into the social movement."

This year's rallies have brought thousands of people onto the streets weekend after weekend, shouting slogans like "stand with Hong Kong" and "revolution of our time" that express a growing discontent with what is seen as creeping Chinese interference in the city.

The government has called for dialogue and said it is willing to "take forward constitutional development" in accordance with the law.

Recent demonstrations have often erupted into violence, with black-clad protesters setting fires and vandalizing metro stations as police fired tear gas, pepper spray, and water cannon.

More turmoil is expected ahead of Oct 1., when Beijing plans lavish celebrations to mark 70 years of the People's Republic.

Authorities describe the participants as "rioters" controlled by external instigators. A recent police tally of the hundreds arrested showed the youngest was 13, the eldest in their eighties.

Many taking to the streets are students, but others are teachers, pilots, nurses, chefs and cleaners and workers from the poorest districts of the city. They include rough sleepers and residents of the crowded subdivided flats that stand in the shadows of skyscrapers.

ECONOMIC WOES

While much of the anger driving the protests stems from political grievances – especially over the implementation of the "one country, 2 systems" agreement under which Hong Kong was handed back to China, promising a high degree of autonomy – analysts say it also has roots in economic woes.

A survey by a local university found 84 per cent of protesters said they were angry about class inequality and 92 per cent thought the wealth gap was unreasonable.

Graffiti laments the prohibitive cost of housing – the most expensive in the world – and the issue was raised in a community dialogue with Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Thursday night.

The city of 7.4 million, built up from a fishing village by British colonizers in the pursuit of wealth, is now home to more billionaires than any other in the world barring New York, but one in 5 of its people live in poverty.

Income inequality recently reached its highest level in more than four decades, according to government data.

In Sham Shui Po, the poorest of Hong Kong's districts, parks are crowded with men sleeping on mattresses or benches. Many are elderly and in poor health, with rashes and bone-thin limbs. Nearby, women push fluffy dogs in prams.

"The affluent people just take everything from poor people," said Lou Tit-Man, who sleeps in a rough neighborhood where he said he has been beaten up by members of Chinese triads, or gangs.

"In the long-term I want Hong Kong to become an equal society," he said.

Ng Wai Tung, a social worker, said the city's "sky-rocketing rent" was fueling homelessness and a housing crisis the government was failing to tackle.

An acute housing shortage means people wait, on average, at least five years for public housing. Most young people live with their parents and more than 200,000 are packed into subdivided units, known as "coffin cubicles" and "cage homes", for which they pay the equivalent of more than $500 per month.

Authorities vowed to build 280,000 public flats by 2027 but have said they will fall short of that goal.

Lam said on Friday she would focus on solutions to the crisis in her Oct 1. policy address.

PILLAR OF OUR SOCIETY

"If the government really wanted to help me, I wouldn't have to work two jobs and live in a subdivided area," said 60-year-old Ip, a cleaner at a university, who moved to Hong Kong from mainland China in her thirties.

She pays $5,000 ($637) a month for a dark room in Sham Shui Po which barely fits the bed she shares with her husband, who is ill and cannot work. The roof leaks.

She formed tight bonds with students after taking part in the 2014 demonstrations, to the chagrin of her husband and family.

"There were some protesters that I didn't know who treated me so well. They chatted with me and were very peaceful," she said.

"These young people were beaten by the police ... They were willing to sacrifice themselves to safeguard a better future for Hong Kong."

Her parents in the mainland tell her she has been brainwashed by foreign forces. But when she visits them in Guangdong province, and sees them glued to state TV coverage of the protests, she thinks it is they who are misinformed.

"I keep arguing with people who don't support the students," she said. "They are the most important pillar of our society. I must help them."

Outside the police station in Mong Kok, the crowd watches as Lou Tit-Man scrawls slogans like, "Stop police brutality" and "Step down, Carrie Lam". He writes the messages on scraps of paper he finds on the street and puts them up near the station.

Every night, the police clear the area. "Afterwards I will make new ones," he said with a grin. (Reporting by Poppy Elena McPherson; Additional reporting by Angie Teo; Editing by Mike Collett-White)

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