LONDON - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Tuesday he would offer millions of Hong Kongers visas and a possible route to UK citizenship if China persists with its national security law.
"Many people in Hong Kong fear their way of life -- which China pledged to uphold -- is under threat," he wrote in an article for The Times newspaper and the South China Morning Post.
"If China proceeds to justify their fears, then Britain could not in good conscience shrug our shoulders and walk away; instead we will honour our obligations and provide an alternative."
About 350,000 people in Hong Kong currently hold British National (Overseas) passports, which allow visa-free access to Britain for up to six months, Johnson wrote.
Another 2.5 million people would be eligible to apply for one.
"If China imposes its national security law, the British government will change our immigration rules and allow any holder of these passports from Hong Kong to come to the UK for a renewable period of 12 months and be given further immigration rights, including the right to work, which could place them on a route to citizenship," he wrote.
The new law was brought in after a wave of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, and approved by Beijing's rubber-stamp parliament as necessary to tackling "terrorism" and "separatism".
Opponents fear it will lead to political oppression in the financial hub, eroding freedoms and autonomy supposedly guaranteed in the 1997 handover from Britain to China.
Johnson said the Hong Kong law would "curtail its freedoms and dramatically erode its autonomy".
If implemented, "Britain would then have no choice but to uphold our profound ties of history and friendship with the people of Hong Kong", he wrote.
London has already announced plans to extend visa rights to those eligible for BN(O) passports and joined international condemnation of Beijing.
But Johnson's personal intervention significantly ups the pressure.
"I hope it will not come to this," he wrote, insisting that "Britain does not seek to prevent China's rise".
"It is precisely because we welcome China as a leading member of the world community that we expect it to abide by international agreements," he wrote.
He rejected as "false" claims that London organised the protests, adding: "Britain wants nothing more than for Hong Kong to succeed under 'one country, two systems'.
"I hope that China wants the same. Let us work together to make it so."
Agence France-Presse
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.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Hong Kong is bracing for more demonstrations this weekend, with protesters threatening to disrupt transport links to the airport, after embattled leader Carrie Lam's withdrawal of a controversial extradition bill failed to appease some activists.
Protesters plan to block traffic to the city's international airport on Saturday, a week after thousands of demonstrators disrupted transport links, sparking some of the worst violence since the unrest escalated 3 months ago.
In an advertisement on Friday in the South China Morning Post newspaper, the Airport Authority of the Asian financial hub urged protesters "not to disrupt the journey of tens of thousands of travelers who use the airport every day".
Other rallies are planned on Friday evening across the city, at sites such as subway stations and near government headquarters.
On Wednesday, Lam announced the withdrawal of the extradition bill, conceding one of the protesters' five key demands, although many said the move was too little, too late.
The bill, which would have allowed people in the former British colony to be sent to mainland China for trial in courts controlled by the Communist Party, triggered mass protests that have since widened into a backlash against the Hong Kong government and its political masters in Beijing.
The massive, and sometimes violent, protests present Chinese President Xi Jinping with his greatest popular challenge since he came to power in 2012.
The turmoil is also pummeling Hong Kong's economy, which faces its first recession in a decade. There is evidence some funds are being moved to rival financial centers, such as Singapore.
On Friday, ratings agency Fitch downgraded Hong Kong's credit rating, citing the continued unrest.
Many protesters remain angry over Lam's refusal to grant an independent inquiry into perceived police brutality against them. Police have fired tear gas and bean bag rounds at protesters, who, in turn, have thrown petrol bombs and bricks at them in running battles.
The protesters' 3 other demands are: retraction of the word "riot" to describe rallies, release of all demonstrators arrested and the right for Hong Kong people to choose their own leaders.
Many residents fear Beijing is eroding the autonomy granted to Hong Kong when it was handed back to China in 1997.
China denies the charge of meddling and says Hong Kong is an internal affair. It has denounced the protests, warning of the damage to the economy and the possible use of force to quell the unrest.
Legislation addressing China's actions in Hong Kong will be among the top priorities pushed by US Senate Democrats when Congress returns to work after a recess next week, their leader said on Thursday.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
HONG KONG - Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Wednesday withdrew an extradition bill that triggered months of often violent protests so the Chinese-ruled city can move forward from a "highly vulnerable and dangerous" place and find solutions.
The announcement, live on television, came after Reuters reports on Friday and Monday revealed that Beijing had thwarted an earlier proposal from Lam to withdraw the bill and that she had said privately that she would resign if she could, according to a leaked audio recording.
"Lingering violence is damaging the very foundations of our society, especially the rule of law," Lam said in her address on Wednesday.
The withdrawal, a key demand of protesters, came after unrest that drove the former British colony to the edge of anarchy as the government repeatedly refused to back down - igniting pitched battles across the city of seven million, the arrests of more than 1,000 protesters, and leaving a society deeply divided.
Many are furious at perceived police brutality and the number of arrests - 1,183 at the latest count - and want an independent inquiry.
"The government will formally withdraw the bill in order to fully allay public concerns," Lam said.
"I pledge that the government will seriously follow up the recommendations of the IPCC's (Independent Police Complaints Council) report. From this month, I and my principal officials will reach out to the community to start a direct dialogue ... we must find ways to address the discontent in society and look for solutions."
The protests began in March but snowballed in June and have since evolved into a push for greater democracy for the city which returned to China in 1997.
The bill would have allowed extraditions to mainland China where courts are controlled by the Communist Party.
It was not immediately clear if the bill's withdrawal would help end the unrest. The immediate reaction appeared skeptical and the real test will be how many people take to the streets.
"This won't appease the protesters," said Boris Chen, 37, who works in financial services. "In any kind of time, people will find something they can get angry about."
One woman, Pearl, 69, said the protests were no longer about the bill.
"Some of those guys may change their minds, maybe, but just a minority," she said of the protesters. "Some of them just want to create trouble and they will continue to do so."
"Too little, too late," said Joshua Wong, a leader of the 2014 pro-democracy protests which were the precursor to the current unrest, on his Facebook page.
The chief executive's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the bill's withdrawal.
Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng Index jumped after the report of the bill's imminent withdrawal, trading up about 4%. The property index also jumped.
Lam had said before that the bill was "dead", but she did not withdraw it.
The protesters' other four demands are: the retraction of the word "riot" to describe rallies, the release of all arrested demonstrators, an independent inquiry into the police perceived brutality and the right for Hong Kong people to democratically choose their own leaders.
CHINA'S WARNINGS
Hong Kong returned to China under a "one country, two systems" formula that allows it to keep freedoms not enjoyed on the mainland, like the freedom to protest and an independent legal system, hence the anger at the extradition bill and perceived creeping influence by Beijing.
China denies it is meddling in Hong Kong's affairs but warned again on Tuesday that it would not sit idly by if the unrest threatened Chinese security and sovereignty.
China has regularly denounced the protests and warned about the impact on Hong Kong's economy.
Cathay Pacific Airways has been one of the biggest corporate casualties.
China’s aviation regulator demanded it suspend staff from flying over its airspace if they were involved in, or supported, the demonstrations. The airline has laid off at least 20 including pilots and cabin crew.
The airline on Wednesday announced the resignation of chairman John Slosar, following the departure of CEO Rupert Hogg last month.
The unrest has shown no sign of easing.
Riot police fired beanbag guns and used pepper spray - both anti-riot weapons - to clear demonstrators from outside the Mong Kok police station and in Prince Edward metro station, with one man taken out on a stretcher with an oxygen mask over his face, television footage showed.
The police, who have repeatedly denied using excessive force, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Clare Jim, Twinnie Siu, Jessie Pang, Lukas Job, Noah Sin, Anne Marie Roantree; Writing by Joe Brock and Nick Macfie Editing by Robert Birsel)
source: news.abs-cbn.com
HONG KONG - Every night at 10 p.m., Hong Kong neighborhoods and university dorms echo with pro-democracy and anti-government chants, the latest form of protest in the Chinese-ruled city where a civil disobedience movement has been going on for more than 12 weeks.
What started as a protest against a now-suspended bill that would have allowed criminal suspects to be extradited to mainland China for trial, has evolved into a broad, increasingly violent, and creative, struggle for greater democracy.
Over the past week, residents were seen out on their balconies or opening their windows to shout "Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of our times", "Ga Yao!" - a Cantonese expression of encouragement often translated as "Add oil" - or simply vent expletives towards police and the government.
The shouting, heard across the territory, is often interactive - one person starts and a chorus of others soon respond.
"Some people may think it's naive," said Torres Fong, 22, a Hong Kong Baptist University student who joins the shouting from his dorm room every night.
"I think its value is far higher. It shows how Hong Kongers are united in this movement and how the spirit is spread across every district."
"We all live in a tense political atmosphere. Shouting is a way to let out steam and keeps us focused on our core demands."
The protesters' cries draw on a long tradition, albeit in uniquely Hong Kong style owing to its densely populated residential districts packed with dozens of tall blocks of tiny apartments.
During the 1979 Iranian Revolution, residents of Tehran defied curfews to shout "Allahu akbar" (God is Greatest) from their rooftops - a gesture echoed in the city during 2009 protests against the re-election of Iran's then-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Through the summer of 2013, and during protests since, Istanbul residents also raised a clamour by leaning from windows and banging pots and pans in support of demonstrations against Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan.
Less revolutionary, though sometimes political, the "Flogsta scream", named after a neighbourhood in Uppsala, Sweden, is a long-known way for students there to vent out the window to deal with the stresses of university life.
It also occurs daily at 10 p.m.
In Hong Kong, the idea spread through social media app Telegram and LIHKG, a Reddit-like forum. Various posts invited Hong Kong people to join a late night concert, with free admission and a pyjamas dress code.
"It's very touching," said Alice Lo, a 24-year-old web designer who lives with her mother in the Hang Hau neighbourhood.
"I've lived here for two years and never had time to meet my neighbours. I'm glad to know they are proud Hong Kongers who want freedom and democracy. It shows we're united."
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Smoke billows from a barricade that protesters set on fire in the Wan Chai district in Hong Kong on Saturday. Chaos engulfed Hong Kong's financial heart for the 13th straight weekend as police fired tear gas and water cannon at petrol bomb-throwing protesters, who defied a ban on rallying.
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WASHINGTON - Telegram, a popular encrypted messaging app, will allow users to cloak their telephone numbers to safeguard Hong Kong protesters against monitoring by Chinese authorities, according to a person with direct knowledge of the effort.
The update to Telegram, planned for release over the next few days, will allow protesters to block Chinese authorities from discovering their identities in the app's large group chats.
Thousands of Hong Kong protesters take their cues from more than 100 groups on Telegram. Protesters use encrypted apps like Telegram to mobilize swiftly through multiple group chats, with less risk of police infiltration, Reuters found in a report published earlier this month.
The groups are used to post everything from news on upcoming protests to tips on dousing tear gas canisters fired by the police to the identities of suspected undercover police and the access codes to buildings in Hong Kong where protesters can hide.
Protesters have grown concerned that Chinese authorities could use the movement's reliance on Telegram to monitor and arrest organizers. Telegram chat groups used to organize public protests are often accessible to anyone and participants use pseudonyms.
But a feature in Telegram's design may have allowed Chinese authorities to learn the real identities of users, according to a group of Hong Kong engineers who posted their finding on a online forum earlier this month.
Telegram allows users to search for other users by uploading phone numbers. This function allows a new user to quickly learn whether those in her phone's contact book are already using the app, the group said.
Protesters believe Chinese security officials have exploited the function by uploading large quantities of phone numbers.
The app automatically matches phone numbers with the user names in the group. Chinese authorities then only need to request the owners of the phone numbers from the local telecom service in order to learn the users' true identities.
Telegram has detected evidence that Chinese authorities may have uploaded numbers to identify protesters, said a person with direct knowledge of the situation. But it is unclear whether Chinese authorities have successfully used this tactic to locate protesters.
Government authorities in Hong Kong did not respond to a request for comment.
The fix Telegram is working on would allow users to disable matching by phone number. That option represents a balance between making it easy for users to find their contacts and the privacy needs of those who rely on the app for protection against state security agents.
Telegram hopes to help protect Hong Kong protesters with the update, the source said. But wide adoption of the optional security setting would make the app far harder to use for the vast majority of its more than 200 consumers who rely on uploading phone contacts to identify friends and family members on the app, the source said.
The move by Telegram comes as Hong Kong police arrested a number of prominent activists and 3 lawmakers on Friday. Nearly 900 people have been arrested since the demonstrations began three months ago.
With protesters and authorities at an impasse and Hong Kong facing its first recession in a decade, speculation has grown that the city government may impose emergency law, giving it extra powers over detentions, censorship and curfews.
The government would consider using “all laws” to prevent violence, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, who has become a lightning rod for protesters’ anger, said this week.
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HONG KONG - Hong Kong police fired volleys of tear gas to break up anti-government protests in a gritty industrial suburb on Saturday after activists threw petrol bombs and bricks, as China freed a British consulate worker whose detention had fueled tensions.
Four MTR subway stations were closed around Kwun Tong, a densely populated area of the Chinese-ruled city on the east of the Kowloon peninsula, but thousands packed the streets anyway, most carrying umbrellas against the sun.
Police used tear gas after some protesters threw Molotov cocktails and bricks and others tore up "smart" lamp posts equipped with surveillance cameras. Others had set up roadblocks with bamboo scaffolding.
It was the first use of tear gas in 10 days after a series of mostly peaceful demonstrations in the former British colony.
There were no immediate reports of injuries.
"Give me democracy or give me death," was spray-painted on a wall, an illustration how the demands of the protesters have expanded beyond the withdrawal of a bill that would have allowed extraditions to China.
The government said in a statement the protesters "posed a serious threat to the safety of everyone" at the scene.
"After repeated warnings to the protesters..., police officers deployed tear gas and minimum force to disperse protesters," it said.
There were sporadic, smaller protests elsewhere in the territory which continued after nightfall. Police fired tear gas in a running battle with protesters blocking a highway in the Wong Tai Sin district, to the northwest of Kwun Tong.
The airport and the roads and railways leading to it operated normally despite plans by protesters to implement a "stress test" of transport links after weeks of unrest.
The airport was forced to close last week after protesters thronged the main terminal for several days, grounding around 1,000 flights and occasionally clashing with police.
The wider calls for democracy have plunged the city into an unprecedented crisis posing a direct challenge for Communist Party leaders in Beijing.
Demonstrators say they are fighting the erosion of the "one country, two systems" arrangement that enshrines a high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong since it was handed back from British to Chinese rule in 1997.
One Kwun Tong protester showed off a tattoo on her arm which read "Hong Kong add oil", a common encouragement for the protest movement.
"I love Hong Kong very much. Even though I may not come out to protest regularly, I still want to mark down this moment,” Bu Chan, 25, told Reuters.
Hundreds took part in an "anti-fake news" protest, with people waving the Hong Kong and China flags and targeting government-funded broadcaster RTHK. A station spokeswoman, Amen Ng, rejected claims that RTHK was engaged in fake news.
CONSULATE WORKER FREED
British consulate staffer Simon Cheng was detained for 15 days for violating public security management regulations, police in Shenzhen, across the border from Hong Kong, said on their Twitter-like Weibo account.
Police said Cheng was released as scheduled on Saturday and that his legal rights and interests had been observed. They also said Cheng had confessed to accusations against him, a commonly used comment by Chinese police, even though Cheng was not given a chance to defend himself in court.
Cheng had now returned to Hong Kong, his family said on his Facebook page.
No details were given of his detention, with the Facebook post asking the "media and friends to give them some time and space, and we will explain more later".
Some protesters in recent days had demanded Cheng be released. Britain said it welcomed the news.
Cathay Pacific Airways, which has become the biggest corporate casualty of the protests after China demanded it suspend staff involved in the demonstrations, protested against a planned rally by the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions around the airport's "Cathay City" HQ on Monday.
"We have also reiterated to our employees that there is a zero-tolerance approach to any support for or participation in illegal protests, violent activities or overly radical behavior," it said in a statement.
There is no sign of a let-up almost three months after the anti-government demonstrations began. On Friday night, thousands of chanting protesters formed human chains around the city in a peaceful protest dubbed the "Hong Kong Way".
Authorities have so far refused to meet any of the protesters' five key demands, including calls for an independent inquiry into police brutality, a full withdrawal of the extradition bill, and full democracy.
Organizers are planning a host of protests in the coming weeks including a mass march, a city-wide strike and class boycotts at universities.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
HONG KONG—Thousands of jeering Hong Kong residents held a raucous anti-government protest on Wednesday at a suburban subway station that was attacked by a mob last month, angry that nobody has yet been prosecuted for the violence.
Some masked protesters clashed with police in the sub-tropical heat, spraying fire extinguishers from the inside of Yuen Long station as others smeared the floor with cooking oil to stop the police advancing.
Some demonstrators blocked station exits and sealed roads outside the station, aiming green laser beams at the lines of shield-bearing officers. Others threw empty fire extinguishers at police lines from overpasses.
It was the latest in a series of demonstrations, which have sometimes turned violent, since June against a perceived erosion of freedoms in the Chinese-ruled former British colony.
Wednesday's protest marked the night of July 21, when more than 100 white-shirted men stormed the Yuen Long station hours after protesters had marched through central Hong Kong and defaced China's Liaison Office - the main symbol of Beijing's authority.
Using pipes and clubs, the men attacked black-clad protesters returning from Hong Kong island as well as passers-by, journalists and a lawmaker, wounding 45 people.
Democratic Party legislator Lam Cheuk-ting, who was wounded in the attack by suspected triad gangsters, said he believed the protesters wanted a peaceful night on Wednesday but he could not rule out further violence - from gangsters or the police.
“It is impossible to predict... It is deeply disappointing that all these weeks later we still don’t have an independent inquiry into those events,” he told Reuters.
Squads of police were stationed on the station perimeter and some protesters jeered and shone lasers at them. A small crowd of masked young men gathered on a station balcony, swearing and cursing at police vans down a side street.
Anger erupted in June over a now-suspended bill that would allow criminal suspects in Hong Kong to be extradited to mainland China for trial. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said again on Tuesday the legislation was dead.
The unrest has been fuelled by broader worries about the erosion of freedoms guaranteed under the "one country, two systems" formula adopted after Hong Kong's return to China in 1997, including an independent judiciary and the right to protest. Demonstrations have included the storming of the legislature and havoc at the airport.
SHARP REACTION FROM BEIJING
At a speakers' corner beneath the MTR station on Wednesday, people denounced police violence and their perceived desertion of duty on July 21.
“They just walked away," one woman said. "What kind of police are these?”
Peter, a 17-year-old student handing out free drinks and masks, said he wanted the night to be peaceful.
"We need to give the frontline fighters a rest from fighting the police, so they can fight again later if we need," he said.
The protests have prompted sharp reactions from Beijing, which has accused foreign countries, including the United States, of fomenting unrest. China has also sent clear warning that forceful intervention is possible, with paramilitary forces holding drills in neighbouring Shenzhen.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reiterated Washington's calls for China to honour its commitment to "one country, two systems".
Speaking to CBS programme "This Morning" on Tuesday, Pompeo highlighted remarks by President Donald Trump at the weekend warning against a crackdown like Beijing's suppression of pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989.
Trump said this would make reaching a deal he has been seeking to end a trade war with China "very hard".
In an editorial on Tuesday, China’s influential state-run tabloid, the Global Times, called Monday's comments by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence linking the trade talks to the Hong Kong protests "outrageous".
Likely worsening already strained ties between Beijing and London, a Chinese national working at Britain's Hong Kong consulate has been detained in China's border city of Shenzhen for violating the law.
Some Hong Kong companies have been dragged into controversy amid the protests.
Pilots and cabin crew at Cathay Pacific Airways described a "white terror" of political denunciations, sackings and phone searches by Chinese aviation officials.
The Hong Kong Pharmacists' Union said it was concerned about the spread of toxic chemicals from the tear gas used by police in some of the protests.
"We would suggest the protective measures and decontamination actions to be taken after the release of tear gas in your community and the mass transit system," it said in a statement.
Police responded by reading out from Wikipedia that tear gas does not harm humans. (Additional reporting by Felix Tam Writing by Nick Macfie Editing by Frances Kerry)
source: news.abs-cbn.com
HONG KONG - Hong Kong is gearing up for more protests this week after hundreds of thousands of anti-government demonstrators braved heavy rain to rally peacefully on Sunday, marking a change to what have often been violent clashes.
Sunday's turnout of an estimated 1.7 million, according to the rally's organizer, showed that the movement still has broad-based support despite chaotic scenes last week when protesters occupied the Chinese-ruled city's airport, for which some activists apologized.
The protests began more than 11 weeks ago as opposition to a now-suspended bill that would allow suspects to be extradited to mainland China for trial in Communist Party-controlled courts and have swelled into wider calls for democracy.
Further demonstrations are planned in coming weeks, including another strike in districts across the former British colony.
Police said on Monday that while the demonstration was mostly peaceful, acts of "breaching public peace" happened afterwards with some protesters shooting hard objects at government offices and aiming laser beams at police officers.
Protesters had spilled out from Victoria Park, the designated rally area on Sunday, and streamed onto major thoroughfares towards the city's financial centre, chanting for the city's Beijing-backed leader Carrie Lam to step down.
Demonstrators later in the night urged each other to go home, breaking from previous instances of violent clashes with police, which have marred recent demonstrations.
In a statement on Sunday night the government said it was most important to restore social order as soon as possible and it would begin sincere dialogue with the public and "rebuild social harmony when everything has calmed down".
Police have come under criticism for using increasingly aggressive tactics to break up demonstrations but on Sunday there was a minimal police presence.
Hong Kong returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" formula that promised wide-ranging freedoms denied to citizens in mainland China, but many in the city believe Beijing has been eroding those freedoms.
The central government has taken an increasingly firm tone over the protests, accusing foreign countries, including the United States, of inciting unrest. The protests have presented one of the biggest challenges for Chinese President Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012.
Over 700 people have been arrested since the protests began in June.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
HONG KONG - Hundreds of thousands of anti-government protesters joined a mass rally in Hong Kong on Sunday, filling major thoroughfares in heavy rain in the eleventh week of what have been often violent demonstrations in the Asian financial hub.
Sunday's turnout showed that the movement still has broad-based support despite the ugly scenes witnessed during the past week when protesters occupied the Chinese-ruled city's airport, for which some activists apologized.
There was an uneasy calm after nightfall, with no violent confrontations and protesters unclear on what would happen next. Police in riot gear checked the IDs of some demonstrators to the west of the Central business district, and there was a large police presence outside the Western District police station.
"They’ve been telling everyone we're rioters. The march today is to show everyone we are not," said a 23-year-old named Chris, who works in marketing and was dressed all in black, including a scarf covering his face and baseball cap.
"It does not mean we won’t keep fighting. We will do whatever is necessary to win, but today we take a break, then we reassess."
One protester shouted at others who were jeering at police, "Today is a peaceful march! Don’t fall into the trap! The world is watching us," prompting the group to move on.
Anger over a now-suspended bill that would allow criminal suspects in Hong Kong to be extradited to mainland China erupted in June, but the rising unrest has been fuelled by broader worries about the erosion of freedoms guaranteed under the "one country, two systems" formula put in place after Hong Kong's return from British to Chinese rule in 1997.
Protesters held aloft placards with slogans including "Free Hong Kong!" and "Democracy now!" and umbrellas to shield them from the rain. The crowd in Victoria Park, where the rally started, was peaceful and included elderly people as well as the middle-aged, young people and families, with some parents carrying toddlers.
Despite rally organizers not having permission to march, the park could not accommodate the crowd, which thronged the streets around the park. Many protesters headed towards the city's financial center, chanting for the city's Beijing-backed leader, Carrie Lam, to step down.
It was impossible to put an exact figure on the number of protesters but Reuters journalists, reporting from around the territory, put the total at at least 200,000.
"It's bloody hot and it's raining. It's a torture just to turn up, frankly. But we have to be here because we have no other choice," said a 24-year-old student named Jonathan who was at the rally that began in Victoria Park in the Causeway Bay district of Hong Kong island.
"We have to continue until the government finally shows us the respect that we deserve," he said.
'WE ARE HONG KONGERS'
Aside from Lam's resignation, demonstrators are seeking complete withdrawal of the extradition bill, a halt to descriptions of the protests as "rioting", a waiver of charges against those arrested, an independent inquiry and resumption of political reform.
"When we were young, we didn’t think about it. But my son tells me: After 2047, what will happen to me?," said a history teacher named Poon, referring to the year when the 50-year agreement enshrining Hong Kong's separate system will lapse.
"I will come again and again and again. We do not know how any of this is going to end. We will still fight," she said.
Police have come under criticism for using increasingly aggressive tactics to break up demonstrations and on Sunday some people handed out balloons resembling eyeballs, a reference to the injury suffered by a female medic who was hospitalized after being hit by a pellet round in the eye.
On Saturday, however, a demonstration in support of the government attracted what organizers said was 476,000 people, although police put the number of attendees at 108,000.
The anti-government protests present one of the biggest challenges facing Chinese President Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012. And with the ruling Communist Party preparing to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic on Oct. 1, the crisis in Hong Kong has come at a sensitive time.
Beijing has struck an increasingly strident tone over the protests, accusing foreign countries including the United States of fomenting unrest.
Scenes of Chinese paramilitary troops training this past week at a stadium in the city of Shenzhen, which borders Hong Kong, gave a clear warning that mainland intervention by force is possible.
Last week, protesters who occupied the terminal at Hong Kong's airport forced the cancellation of nearly 1,000 flights and detained two men they thought were pro-government sympathizers, prompting Beijing to liken the behavior to terrorism.
"We are Hong Kongers. We are here for our future. We feel for the teenagers," said Frances Chan, 60, a retired journalist attending Sunday's rally.
She said only a few protesters had used violence, sparingly, and that it was brought on by pressure from authorities and police.
"Actually, we want peace and freedom," she said. "If the government would just listen to the five requests, things would calm down."
(Reporting by Tom Westbrook, Lukas Job, Felix Tam, Anne Marie Roantree, Donny Kwok, James Pomfret and Clare Jim; Writing by Tony Munroe; Editing by Nick Macfie)
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HONG KONG - Tens of thousands of Hong Kong democracy activists gathered Sunday for a major rally to show the city's leaders their protest movement still attracts wide public support despite mounting violence and increasingly stark warnings from Beijing.
Ten weeks of demonstrations have plunged the financial hub into crisis with images of masked black-clad protesters engulfed by tear gas during street battles with riot police stunning a city once renowned for its stability.
Communist-ruled mainland China has taken an increasingly hardline tone towards the protesters, decrying the "terrorist-like" actions of a violent hardcore minority among the demonstrators.
Despite the near-nightly clashes with police, the movement has won few concessions from Beijing or the city's unelected leadership.
On Tuesday, protesters blocked passengers from boarding flights at the city's airport and later assaulted two men they accused of being Chinese spies.
The images damaged a campaign that until then had largely targeted the police or government institutions, and prompted an apology from some of the protest groups.
Sunday's rally at the city's Victoria Park is an attempt to wrestle the narrative of the protest back.
It is a "rational, non-violent" demonstration, according to organizers the Civil Human Rights Front, the driving force behind record-breaking rallies in June and July that saw hundreds of thousands of people hit the streets.
Police have given permission for the rally to go ahead but banned a proposed march.
Previous bans on marches have been ignored by protesters, leading to clashes with riot police.
"We expect a huge number of participants... we hope to show to the world Hong Kong people can be totally peaceful," Bonnie Leung, a spokeswoman for the Civil Human Rights Front told reporters.
"If Beijing and Hong Kong's tactic is to wait for our movement to die, they are wrong... we will soldier on."
China's propaganda apparatus has seized on the weeks of violence, with state media churning out a deluge of damning articles, pictures and videos.
BLAME GAME
State media also ran images of military personnel and armored personnel carriers across the border in Shenzhen, prompting the United States to warn Beijing against sending in troops.
Analysts say any intervention by Chinese security forces would be a reputational and economic disaster for China.
During smaller protest marches on Saturday -- which ended without large-scale clashes -- many protesters chanted "See you in Victoria Park!" as they left the streets.
Tens of thousands of protesters massed in the park as the rally started on Sunday afternoon, while many others thronged the nearby streets in a show of defiance expected to stretch into the evening.
"I hope more people can make a step forward," protester Ray Cheung, 30, told AFP.
"We have tried many times with peaceful approaches... I really hope the government can listen to us."
The unprecedented political crisis was sparked by opposition to a plan to allow extraditions to the mainland.
But protests have since morphed into a wider call for democratic rights in the semi-autonomous city.
Under a deal signed with Britain, authoritarian China agreed to allow Hong Kong to keep its unique freedoms when it was handed back in 1997.
But many Hong Kongers feel those freedoms are being chipped away, especially since China's hardline president Xi Jinping came to power.
In the last two months, millions of people have hit the streets.
Battles between police firing tear gas and rubber bullets -- and hardcore protesters using rocks, Molotov cocktails and slingshots -- have since become routine in the city.
Both sides trade the blame for provoking the violence.
Beyond suspending the extradition bill, Beijing and city leader Carrie Lam have shown no desire to meet key demands such as an inquiry into police violence, the complete withdrawal of the bill and an amnesty.
Beijing has turned the screws on Hong Kong's businesses, pressuring them to toe the line and condemn the protesters.
On Friday, Cathay Pacific announced the shock resignation of CEO Rupert Hogg after the carrier was excoriated by Beijing because some staff supported the pro-democracy protests.
A day later the "Big Four" accountancy firms scrambled to distance themselves from an advert placed in a newspaper purportedly by employees saying they supported the protests.
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Chaos gripped Hong Kong's airport for a second day Tuesday as pro-democracy protesters staged a disruptive sit-in that paralyzed hundreds of flights, saw police fire pepper spray, and a mainland journalist beaten.
Demonstrators defied warnings from the city's leader, who said they were heading down a "path of no return", and US President Donald Trump called for calm, saying his intelligence had confirmed Chinese troop movements toward the Hong Kong border.
The latest protest led to ugly scenes at one of the world's busiest airports, where small groups of hardcore demonstrators turned on two men they accused of being spies or undercover police -- and as desperate travellers pleaded in vain to be allowed onto flights.
Hong Kong's 10-week political crisis, which has seen millions of people take to the streets calling for a halt to sliding freedoms, was already the biggest challenge to Chinese rule of the semi-autonomous city since its 1997 handover from Britain.
But two days of protests at the airport have again raised the stakes for the financial hub.
Beijing is sending increasingly ominous signals that the unrest must end, with state-run media showing videos of security forces gathering across the border.
All check-ins were cancelled on Tuesday afternoon after thousands of protesters wearing their signature black T-shirts made barricades using luggage trolleys to prevent passengers from passing through security gates.
Scuffles broke out between protesters and travelers, and vigilantism occurred when demonstrators turned on two men.
Mob justice
Police have recently disguised themselves as activists to make arrests, a move which has sent paranoia soaring among protesters.
The first man was held for about two hours before eventually being led away in an ambulance. Riot police briefly deployed pepper spray and batons to beat back protesters while they escorted the vehicle away from the departures hall.
Another man, wearing a yellow journalist vest, was surrounded, zip-tied and then beaten by a small group who accused him of being a spy.
In a tweet, Hu Xijun, the editor of China's state-controlled Global Times tabloid -- which has vociferously condemned the protests -- confirmed the man was a journalist working for the paper.
The man was later driven away in an ambulance after protesters and volunteer medics carried him off.
By early Wednesday, most protesters had left and the South China Morning Post reported that the Airport Authority had obtained an injunction to remove demonstrators, although it was unclear how it would be enforced.
'Into an abyss'
On Tuesday morning, the city's leader, Carrie Lam, gave an at-times emotional press conference in which she warned of dangerous consequences if escalating violence was not curbed.
Lam faced fierce questioning from local reporters and at one point appeared to be on the verge of tears.
"Take a minute to think, look at our city, our home, do you all really want to see it pushed into an abyss?" Lam said, although she again refused to make any concessions to the protesters.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 2.1 percent in its third straight day of losses as China's official Xinhua news agency said the economic "damage has begun to show" from weeks of protest.
The airport became a target on Monday and Tuesday after especially fierce clashes between police and protesters over the weekend in which a woman suffered a severe injury to her right eye. Protesters blamed the injury on a police bean-bag round.
Some travelers voiced sympathy with the demonstrators.
"I understand the basics of the protest and they've got a point: it's about freedom and democracy and it's incredibly important," said Pete Knox, a 65-year-old Briton on his way to Vietnam.
Others were conflicted.
Chun-sun Chan, 46, trying to fly home to his two children in Britain, said he felt for the protesters "but I can't quite reconcile with myself whether this is the right way of doing it".
'Mobsters'
The protests began in opposition to a bill that would have allowed extraditions to the mainland, but quickly evolved into a broader battle.
Authorities in Beijing on Monday slammed violent protesters who threw petrol bombs at police officers, linking them to "terrorism".
On Tuesday, state media upped the ante, calling protesters "mobsters", warning they must never be appeased and raising the specter of mainland security forces intervening.
Videos promoted by state media showed Chinese military and armored vehicles appearing to gather in the southern city of Shenzhen, which borders Hong Kong.
"Our Intelligence has informed us that the Chinese Government is moving troops to the Border with Hong Kong. Everyone should be calm and safe!" US President Donald Trump said in a tweet on Tuesday.
Earlier, speaking to reporters in New Jersey, Trump said he hoped no one would be killed in the protests.
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HONG KONG - Flight check-in services have been suspended at Hong Kong's international airport, the airport authority said on Tuesday, citing disruptions caused by anti-government protests.
Increasingly violent protests have plunged the Asian financial hub into its most serious political crisis in decades, posing a challenge to the central government in Beijing.
The Airport Authority (AA) halted all flights to and from the airport on Monday, and flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways said on Tuesday it had suspended all check-ins.
"Terminal operations at Hong Kong International Airport have been seriously disrupted as a result of the public assembly at the airport today," the AA said, adding that check-in service for departing flights has been suspended since 4:30 pm local time.
In a separate statement, Cathay Pacific said: "There is potential for further flight disruptions at short notice."
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BEIJING/HONG KONG - Shares in Cathay Pacific Airways fell more than 4 percent to close to a 10-year low on Monday after the Hong Kong flag carrier became caught in crosswinds between Beijing and pro-democracy groups in the Asian financial hub.
Increasingly violent protests since June have plunged Hong Kong into its most serious crisis in decades and are one of the biggest popular challenges to Chinese leader Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012.
Cathay became embroiled on Friday when China's civil aviation regulator demanded the airline suspend personnel who engaged in or supported illegal protests in Hong Kong from staffing flights into its airspace, citing safety concerns.
The airline moved fast to comply with the demand from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), suspending a pilot arrested during anti-government protests in Hong Kong and firing two airport employees citing misconduct on Saturday.
It also said it would bar "overly radical" staff from crewing flights to the mainland, and analysts said the tighter oversight, along with the impact the protests could have on traffic, could affect the airline's bottom line.
"Not only is this likely to affect direct China flights, but also flights to Europe and, to a lesser extent, to the US, given that they fly over China airspace," Jefferies analyst Andrew Lee said.
Passenger traffic in mainland China, Europe and North America accounted for over 50 percent of all Cathay's traffic in the first half of this year, according to Jefferies data.
Cathay's shares tumbled to HK$9.82 on Monday morning, their lowest since October 2018 and near levels not seen since the 2009 financial crisis.
STAFFING QUESTION
Cathay's largest shareholder is Swire Pacific Ltd, with a 45 percent stake, followed by China's flagship carrier, Air China Ltd which owns 30 percent, according to the airline's latest annual report.
The company, which in March reported its first profit in 3 years, has seen a decline in forward bookings for travel to Hong Kong due to the protests.
It was not immediately clear how the regulator's directive would affect flight staffing. Cathay CEO Rupert Hogg told staff the company would report to the CAAC by Thursday on how it would improve flight safety, according to a copy of a letter seen by Reuters.
Cathay did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The Hong Kong Cabin Crew Federation, a union representing airline employees, has criticized the regulator.
In a statement on Saturday, it said the CAAC should have "respected Hong Kong people's rights and freedoms" on the basis of the "one country, two systems" principle, which guarantees the former British colony a high degree of autonomy from Beijing.
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HONG KONG - Hong Kong police fired tear gas and rubber bullets in fresh clashes with protesters after a general strike caused transport chaos on Monday, and as night fell in the Asian financial hub thousands of activists blocked roads in several districts.
The latest protests surpassed all the earlier shows of dissent for scale and intensity, escalating after Hong Kong's Beijing-backed leader warned that the city is on the verge of an "extremely dangerous situation" and represented a challenge to China's sovereignty.
What started several months ago as demonstrations over an extradition bill that would have allowed people to be sent to mainland China for trial have now evolved into a much broader backlash against the city's government and its political masters in Beijing.
As some train and bus services resumed, tens of thousands of demonstrators fanned out across several districts, and there were running battles with riot police as some activists besieged police stations.
Thousands of black-clad protesters later occupied roads in Admiralty district near government buildings for several hours before moving to other areas. By nightfall, protests continued across the city.
Earlier, speaking to the media for the first time in two weeks, Beijing-backed leader Carrie Lam remained defiant as she rejected calls from protesters demanding her resignation, saying the government would be resolute in maintaining law and order.
She warned that the protests were putting the former British colony on a path of no return and had hurt its economy.
"They claim they want a revolution and to restore Hong Kong. These actions have far exceeded their original political demands," said a stern-faced Lam, flanked by senior members of her administration.
China's Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council said it would hold a press conference on Tuesday at 2.30 pm (0630 GMT) to discuss the situation in the city.
The protests pose the greatest political challenge to the government of the former British colony since it returned to Chinese rule and represent the biggest popular challenge to Chinese leader Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012.
"These illegal acts that challenge our country's sovereignty, and jeopardize 'one country two systems', will destroy the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong," Lam said, referring to the territory's administrative system since 1997, when it was handed back to China.
Some demonstrators accused Lam of again fueling the crisis by ignoring public sentiment, however, and pledged to continue their movement.
It was "totally a waste of time" to hear her speak, said Jay Leung, 20, a university student.
"I don't think the government is doing anything to heal society," he added. "They provide no solution to solve the political problem brought on by themselves."
Russell, 38, who works in the tourism industry said, "Nothing, she said nothing. I didn't hear anything positive, she just made it worse."
COMMUTER CHAOS
Within hours of the comments, protesters hurled umbrellas and other items at police in the residential district of Wong Tai Sin, where officers responded with pepper spray. Police also fired tear gas in Tin Shui Wai district, as tension flared.
The demonstrators blocked key roads, including three tunnels, cutting major arteries linking Hong Kong island and the Kowloon Peninsula. In Yuen Long district, a car rammed through a barricade, knocking down protesters.
Commuters struggled to get to work in the rush hour before Lam spoke, with many rail and bus services suspended by activists who blocked trains from leaving stations, some by sitting in doorways, in the latest anti-government campaign.
Long lines of traffic snaked across Hong Kong island into the heart of the business center and hundreds of people were stranded at the airport, where more than 200 flights were canceled at one point.
The Airport Express train service was temporarily suspended.
"(The government) are making police the scapegoat and creating a situation that is becoming unbearable for everyone who lives here. So that's one of the reasons we have joined the strike," said Mark Schmidt, 49, a restaurant manager who closed his business on Monday.
"Losing a bit of money now is not such a problem,(compared) with losing everything that the freedom of Hong Kong used to stand for," he added.
Lam's speech focused mainly on the violence at recent protests, which have galvanized people to join rallies by civil servants, teachers, lawyers and religious groups, among others.
SHOPS SHUTTERED
In an upmarket shopping mall in Sha Tin, scores of shops were shuttered, including clothing retailer H&M as well as luxury brands Chanel and Dior.
Protesters in the shopping center chanted, "Strike! Support to the end."
Many stores in the bustling shopping district of Causeway Bay were closed as well as businesses close to the protests.
Members of the Hong Kong Disneyland Cast Members Union went on strike, as did many lifeguards, forcing authorities to close some beaches and swimming pools.
Demonstrators besieged police stations over the weekend in flash mob-style actions, spray-painting walls with graffiti and breaking windows. More than 40 people were arrested.
Police, who some have accused of using excessive force on protesters, said the violence was escalating rapidly and the situation was spiraling out of control.
Authorities said 420 people have been arrested over the protests since June 9, while police have fired 1,000 rounds of tear gas and about 160 rubber bullets.
The government has refused to accede to any of the protesters' main demands, which include a complete withdrawal of the extradition bill and an independent inquiry into government handling of the crisis.
With tourist numbers falling and hotel occupancy rates slumping, the protests are piling pressure on a struggling economy.
IHS Markit's July Purchasing Managers' Index for Hong Kong showed private sector business activity dropped to its lowest level in a decade, weighed down by the protests and the Sino-US trade war.
"I would not be surprised if we see a technical recession - two consecutive quarters of contraction. That is highly probable now," said Raymond Yeung, chief China economist at ANZ.
The benchmark Hang Seng Index closed down 2.9 percent, falling to its lowest level since January. (Reporting by Clare Jim, Donny Kwok, James Pomfret, Noah Sin, Twinnie Siu, Vimvam Tam, Kevin Liu, Lukas Job, Felix Tam; Writing by Anne Marie Roantree; Editing by Paul Tait, Clarence Fernandez & Simon Cameron-Moore)
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