Hong Kong Airport Says Flights Cancelled As Protests Escalate

Protesters hurled bricks at officers and ignored warnings to leave Sham Shui Po area before tear gas was deployed

Police fire tear gas during the anti-extradition bill protest in Hong Kong.

(Photo: AP)

Hong Kong airport authorities cancelled all remaining departing and arriving flights at the major travel hub on Monday, 12 August, after thousands of protesters entered the arrivals hall to stage a demonstration.

“Other than the departure flights that have completed the check-in process and the arrival flights that are already heading to Hong Kong, all other flights have been cancelled for the rest of today,” the airport authority said in a statement.

The decision came after thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators flooded into the airport holding signs reading "Hong Kong is not safe" and "Shame on police".

"Airport operations at Hong Kong International Airport have been seriously disrupted as a result of the public assembly at the airport today," the statement said.

It warned that traffic to the airport was "very congested" and the facility's car parks were completely full.

"Members of the public are advised not to come to the airport."

Police Use Water Cannons as Protests Linger

Hong Kong police showed off water cannons on Monday as pro-democracy street protests stretched into their 10th week with no sign of either side backing down.

The demonstration of specially equipped armoured cars came after another weekend of protests at Hong Kong's bustling international airport and on the streets of one of the city's main shopping districts.

Legislators and journalists were invited to witness the display of extreme crowd control tactics, which Amnesty International warned last week could lead to serious injuries if misused within Hong Kong's confined spaces.

During the weekend protests, the Hong Kong Free Press showed footage of one arrest that appeared to include officers dressing as protesters who injured a demonstrator pressed to the ground.

The young man, who said his name was Chow Ka-lok and asked for a lawyer, was left with bleeding head wounds and a broken tooth.

Police have also reported injuries among their ranks, including eye irritation from laser pointers and burns from a petrol bomb.

Tear Gas Fired With No End in Sight to Protests

Police fired tear gas on Sunday, 11 August, to try to disperse a demonstration in Hong Kong as protesters took over streets in two parts of the Asian financial capital, blocking traffic and setting up another night of likely showdowns with riot police.

Protesters hurled bricks at officers and ignored warnings to leave the Sham Shui Po area before tear gas was deployed, police said, calling the march an "unauthorized assembly."

Nearby, protesters wearing gas masks gathered outside a police station in Cheung Sha Wan, as officers wearing their own protective gear looked down at them from a tall wall around the station.

Across Victoria Harbour, a large group of mostly young protesters marched down the middle of Hennessey Road, a main shopping drag in the Causeway Bay area, as a rally was held in nearby Victoria Park.

‘Hong Kong Is Not The Hong Kong It Used To Be’

Many wore face masks to shield their identities, and a few had helmets. Others just carried backpacks over the black T-shirts that have become their uniform.

Many wore face masks to shield their identities, and a few had helmets.

"We hope the world knows that Hong Kong is not the Hong Kong it used to be," said one protester, Louisa Ho. "China is doing more and more to pressure Hong Kong, its people and its organizations." Hong Kong has seen nine weeks of protests with no end in sight.

The movement's demands include the resignation of the city's leader, democratic elections, the release of those arrested in earlier protests and an investigation into police use of force against the protesters Banners at the rally in Victoria Park read "Give Hong Kong back to us" and "Withdraw the evil law," the latter a reference to an extradition bill that was the original spark for the protests.

A large crowd sat under umbrellas, which are both a protest symbol in Hong Kong and protection from the summer heat.

Hannah Yu, an organiser, said the protest would provide a platform for people to rally peacefully. In what has become an established pattern, groups of protesters have taken over streets or besieged government buildings after largely peaceful marches and rallies earlier in the day.

“There will still be citizens going out on the streets to protest, but we cannot control them and we do not have the authority to control them,” Yu said.

Police permitted the rally in Victoria Park but denied a request by organisers to also have a march in the eastern part of Hong Kong Island. Police also denied permission for the march in Kowloon, but protesters went ahead anyway.

(With Inputs from PTI and AP)