Hundreds of protesters block the Arrival and Departures at Hong Kong International Airport
The situation in Hong Kong is moving from bad to worse with mass sit-in at Hong Kong International Airport entering its 5th day, starting from Friday, August 9, 2019.
On Friday, the protestors occupied the Arrival Hall, stopping the passage of the travellers. On Monday, they went ahead to occupy the Departures, blocking passengers from checking in or clearing security check. This resulted into cancellation of all flights, inbound and outbound, from 4:00 p.m. local time.
On late Monday evening, i.e., August 12, 2019, there was a slight fall in the number of protestors occupying the Departures. However, hundreds of protestors, dressed in black, have again gathered for a mass sit-in at the airport, today, i.e., Tuesday, August 13, 2019. More than 300 flights, scheduled for today, have been cancelled.
Speaking to the media, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong – Carrie Lam said, “Hong Kong is seriously wounded. It will take a long time to recover.”
She appealed to the protestors, “Let’s set aside differences and spend one minute to look at our city and our home. Could we bear to push it into an abyss where everything will perish? We need to object to violence and maintain the rule of law. When this all calms down, we will start to have sincere dialogues and rebuild harmony.”
Talking about Hong Kong’s reputation, she added, “From what happened in the past week, I am afraid that Hong Kong’s reputation, as a safe society that respects the rule of law, will be in a very dangerous [situation]. Hong Kong, as an open, free, inclusive, and economically stable city, will also suffer from all kinds of problems.”
Dodging a media query on her resignation she said, “I, as chief executive, will be responsible for rebuilding Hong Kong’s economy, for engaging as widely as possible, for listening as attentively as possible to my people’s grievances, and trying to help Hong Kong move on. That’s my very serious political commitment and my responsibility to the people of Hong Kong at this point in time.”
The Civil Aviation Administration of China has announced that arrangements are being done to help travellers between Hong Kong and mainland China, by boosting airlines’ capacity and handling ticket transfers and refunds. The national flag carrier, Air China is adding extra flights between Beijing and Shenzhen, the mainland city neighbouring Hong Kong. The Airport Authority has asked the travellers to check the updated status of flights on Mobile App, before coming to the Airport. It has also urged them to come to Airport via public transport and avoid personal transport.
Cathay Pacific Airways has cancelled more than 200 flights. A media statement from Cathay Pacific Airways, read, “We’d like to make it absolutely clear that we do not condone such behaviour.” Hong Kong Airlines, which is controlled by mainland Chinese conglomerate the HNA Group, released adverts in newspapers condemning violent acts.
For the records, the protests have been triggered by the controversial extradition bill which if implemented, would have allowed China, Taiwan and Macau to place extradition request for suspects accused of criminal wrongdoings. The requests would have then been decided on a case-by-case basis. The Hong Kong Courts would have the right to make the final decision. However, owing to mass unrest, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong – Carrie Lam later announced that the Government has suspended the controversial extradition bill.
