Fears of bloodshed as Hong Kong university standoff enters third day

MTR

19/11/2019 02:21

(Drawing attention to language in paragraph 12 that might
offend some readers)
    By Jessie Pang and James Pomfret
    HONG KONG, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Hong Kong's new police chief
called for the support of all citizens to end social unrest that
has disrupted the city for more than five months, while
protesters remained trapped by his officers at a university for
a third day on Tuesday.
    About 200 protesters were still inside the sealed-off Hong
Kong Polytechnic University campus, raising fears of bloody
clashes with no resolution in sight.
    China’s top legislature, commenting on a ruling that said a
proposed ban on face masks worn by protesters was unlawful, said
Hong Kong courts had no power to rule on the constitutionality
of the city's legislation, according to state media outlet
Xinhua.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nB9N21300R
    The statement came a day after Hong Kong's High Court vetoed
the ban, imposed using colonial-era emergency powers, on wearing
face masks during public demonstrations.
    The former British colony appointed a new head of police,
Chris Tang, on Tuesday to oversee the city's force of more than
30,000 officers. Tang said the force was not able to end the
protests alone.
    He also said "fake news" was undermining the reputation of
Hong Kong police.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nH9N25102C
    Dozens of mask-wearing protesters staged a dramatic escape
from the Polytechnic University on Monday night by shimmying
down plastic hosing from a bridge and fleeing on waiting
motorbikes as police fired projectiles.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL5N27X0BQ
    Police allowed two prominent figures onto the campus late on
Monday to mediate but many protesters refused to leave
voluntarily.
    The university, in the centre of the bustling Kowloon
peninsula, is the last campus still occupied by activists during
a week that saw the most intense violence since the
anti-government demonstrations escalated more than five months
ago.
    Protesters said supplies, including food, were dwindling
rapidly.
    "There have been so many people who have sacrificed for
this," said a 21-year-old university student, who identified
himself as T, who had escaped from the university on Tuesday.
    "Some people just don't give a shit. They just want to sit
back and wait for a successful result," he said.
    Demonstrators are angry at what they see as Chinese meddling
in Hong Kong's promised freedoms when the former British colony
returned to Chinese rule in 1997. They also say they are
responding to excessive use of force by police.
    China says it is committed to the "one country, two systems"
formula granting Hong Kong autonomy. The city's police deny
accusations of brutality and say they have shown restraint.
    Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday she hoped the
university standoff could be resolved peacefully, although she
was shocked that campuses had been turned into "weapons
factories".  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nH9N251007
    
    CLASHES WORSEN    
    The number of people demonstrating has fallen in recent
weeks but clashes have worsened since early last week, when
police shot a protester, a man was set on fire and the city's
financial district was filled with tear gas in the middle of the
workday.
    Police spokesmen said they fired three live rounds early on
Monday morning but no one was hurt.
    Protesters have torched buildings and public infrastructure,
including a footbridge and toll booths at the city's Cross
Harbour Tunnel linking Hong Kong island to the Kowloon
peninsula. The popular tunnel remained shut due to extensive
damage, authorities said.
    Some train services and many roads across Kowloon remained
closed. All schools were shut again on Tuesday, extending a
string of closures since last week due to safety concerns.
    The city's hospital authority reported 116 injuries on
Monday, including one female in serious condition.
    Jasper Tsang, a pro-Beijing politician who is the former
head of Hong Kong's Legislative Council, told Reuters there
could be bloodshed if the police entered the Polytechnic
University campus by force and would meet strong resistance.
    "This is something that we want to avoid," he said.
    Thousands of black-clad protesters have taken to the nearby
commercial and tourist district in Tsim Sha Tsui in support of
those still inside.
    Roaming the streets, many carrying petrol bombs, they have
blocked key roads with bricks and bamboo, forcing prime shopping
malls, offices and stores to close. 
    The unrest poses the gravest popular challenge to Chinese
President Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012. Beijing
denies accusations of meddling and has accused foreign
countries, including Britain and the United States, of inciting
trouble.
    In Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told
reporters the United States was "gravely concerned" about the
unrest and violence and said the Hong Kong government bore
primary responsibility for ensuring a return to calm.
 urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL2N27Y0WK
    China's ambassador to London accused foreign countries on
Monday, including the United States and Britain, of interfering
in Chinese internal affairs through their reactions.
 urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N27Y2WS 

 (Reporting by Sharon Tam, Jessie Pang, James Pomfret, Nick
Macfie and David Lague; Writing by Farah Master; Editing by Paul
Tait)
 ((farah.master@thomsonreuters.com; +852 28431631 ;))