China Daily Weekly - 09.08.2019

Reporter’slog

BySTAFFWRITER inHongKong

The chaotic world suddenly became

incredibly quiet when an unknown

“bomb” flung by anti-extradition-bill

protesters hit my neck from behind.I

couldn’t move and the dizziness lasted

about 1 0 seconds.

Gradually regaining consciousness,I

still managed tocapture the moments

when clashes ragedon between radical

protesters andpoliceofficers in Wong

TaiSin,aworking-class residential

districtofHongKong,on the night

ofAug 3.

Working as apressphotographer

inHongKong has become more chal-

lenging. With the escalating violence

of recentprotests,you never know

what kindof danger you might run

intoin the next minute.

The important lessonIlearnedon

Aug 3 is thatIhave topay more atten-

tiontotheprotesters’ self-made weap-

ons. They are upgrading them.

Thepotentially lethal weapons used

by radicalprotesters in the unrest at

Tsim Sha Tsui,oneof the city’s busiest

tourist areas, really stunned me.

Outside the besieged Tsim Sha Tsui

Police Station,Isaw threeprotesters in

masks andprotective gear manning a

giant slingshot—something not seen

atpreviousprotest gatherings. They

were trying to shootbricks and stones

intothepolice station.

AtthatmomentIfeltIhad traveled

back in time tosome ancient war, as if

these “soldiers” were trying toconquer

atown with a large catapult.

Journalists at the scene were suit-

ably scared by the dangerous weapon,

recognizing that itsoperators would

often shootprojectiles in the wrong

direction.

Indeed, compared withprevious

protests, many moreprotesters this

time were equipped with deadly weap-

ons such as slingshots and metal rods.

Some them surrof oundedpolice sta-

tions, constantly escalating their defi-

ant acts.

InMongKok, some even attempt-

ed tostart a fireon the streets with

machineoil.Perhaps they donot

understand that arson is a crimepun-

ishable by life imprisonment.

In additiontothe weapons,Ifound

that well-prepared and well-organized

groupsofprotesters tried toexpand

the impactof their rallies with “flash

mob” tactics.

Fromnoontolate at nightonAug 3,

followingtheprotesters,Iwent back

and forth inKowloon between densely

populatedMongKok, Tsim Sha Tsui

andHungHom.

Protesters flooded intoHungHom,

and twice — fromabout 6pmto 7 pm,

and 10 pmto10:30pm—theyblocked

the entranceof theCross-Harbour

Tunnel,oneof three critical traffic

arteries betweenHongKongIsland

andKowloon.

The “flash mob” tactics caused traf-

fic congestioninbroader areas and

also madeit difficult for thepolice to

deal with.

The escalated violence made me

worry thatpotential bloody incidents

are waiting tohappen.AsHongKong

residents, eachofushasaresponsibil-

ity tosafeguard the city’s security and

notputothers’ lives at risk.Ihopepeo-

ple can be responsible for themselves

and for the city, sothat it can resume

peace and rationality.

Chaos,primitiveweaponsonHongKongstreetslikescenesfromanancientwar

Violencehas toend,orblood willbeshed

BySTAFFWRITERS inHongKong

HongKong wasplunged intocha-

os againonAug 5 as a general strike

followed another weekendofviolent

protests,paralyzing transportation,

leading tomore than 70 flight can-

cellations and bringing the city toan

unprecedented standstill.

Commuters struggled toget towork

during theMonday morning rush

hour, when many rail and bus services

were suspended, while some activists

blocked trains from leaving stations,

some by sitting between train doors.

Clashes brokeout at severalofthe

city’sMass Transit Railway stations.

Somepassengers were seen scolding

radicalprotestersontheplatform, urg-

ing them toreflecton their behavior.

Some shouted at the maskedprotest-

ers, calling them “rioters”. Some quar-

rels then turned intobrawls.

NancyHuang, 23, a residentofTai

Wai inHongKong’sNew Territories,

said she hadplanned toreach her

office in WanChaionHongKong

Island before 8:30 am but was strand-

ed at the Tai WaiMTR station till 11

am. “It’s tooinconvenient andIfeel

sotired. The stationisfullofpeople,

andIwas trapped there for nearly five

hours,” said the recruitment consul-

tant.

Another Tai Wai resident, 26-year-

old Susan Tso, reached her workplace

in Sai YingPunonHongKongIsland

at 11 :30 am. She hadplanned toclock

in by 9:30 am but waited at the Tai

Wai stationforabout an hour before

deciding totake a bus instead.

Long linesof traffic could be seen

acrossHongKongIsland leading to

the heartof the business center, and

hundredsofpeople were stranded at

the airport. Roads intothe main arter-

iesofHongKong wereparalyzed.

Ng, a 50-year-oldoffice w orker living

nearCentral whodidn’t want togive

his full name, faced a long commute to

his Tsim Sha Tsuioffice — just across

the harborinKowloon — becausepart

of the Tsuen Wan line was blocked by

protesters in the morning.He said the

citywide strike completely disrupted

his work schedule.

According totheCivilAviation

Department, 77 flights had been can-

celed due tothe strike asof2pm.Air

traffic volume started topick upin the

afternoon.

HongKong tourism numbers fell,

and hoteloccupancy rates slumped as

theproteststookatoll, addingpres-

sure toHongKong’s already struggling

economy.

The metroresumed normal services

around noon.However, road traffic

was still disrupted from time totime

during the day.

StrikebringsHongKongrailnetworktoastandstillasprotestersdisruptservices

Day offrustrationforcommuters

ngKong onAug5toraisethe national

byradical protesters.Previously,

sOffice ofthe StateCouncil inBeijing

gSpecialAdministrativeRegion,

ationalsovereignty.

ionAug 3. Theylaterthrewthe flag

OVIDEDTOCHINADAILY

Commutersarguewithprotesters whotriedtopreventtrain doorsfrom

closing atFortressHillMTRstation onthe morning ofAug5.

Protesters use a giantslingshottoshootbricksandstonesinto

Tsuen WanPolice Station onAug5.

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