HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong riot police took up position at the main rail station serving the airport on Sunday to prevent a new anti-government protest targeting air travel after a night of violent street clashes in the Chinese-ruled territory.
Protesters have targeted the airport before, occupying the arrivals hall, blocking approach roads and setting street fires in the nearby town of Tung Chung, and trashing its subway station.
The Airport Express train, which takes passengers under the harbor and across a series of bridges to the airport, built on reclaimed land around an outlying island, was only allowing passengers to board in downtown Hong Kong, not on the Kowloon peninsula, the Airport Authority said.
And only people holding flight tickets were allowed to enter the terminal. Bus services were also affected.
“There are calls online for using fake boarding passes, fake air tickets or fake flight booking information to enter the terminal buildings … The Airport Authority reminds that such behavior could amount to forgery or using false instrument,” it said in a statement.
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One man, a 73-year-old retiree from Canada traveling to Hong Kong, said he had no problem with the protests if they were “legal and peaceful”.
“They are just trying to voice their demands. As a civilized resident I think these demands are legitimate,” the man, who asked to be identified only as Chow, told Reuters.
Australian traveler Jody Paul, 55, who spent a week on holiday in the former British colony, said the protests hadn’t affected her trip.
“It was lovely – we didn’t see any of the protesters or any of the action. I was hoping for a glimpse.”
RIVALS CLASH
The violence has hit pockets of Hong Kong at different times over more than three months, allowing life to go on as normal for the vast majority most of the time.
But pictures of petrol bombs and street clashes broadcast worldwide present a huge embarrassment for Beijing just days ahead of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic on Oct. 1.
The Hong Kong government has already called off a big fireworks display to mark the day in case of further clashes. China, which has a People’s Liberation Army garrison in Hong Kong, has said it has faith in Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam to solve the crisis.
Police fired tear gas to disperse pro-democracy protesters who threw petrol bombs in two new towns on Saturday after pro-China groups pulled down some of the “Lennon Walls” of anti-government messages. There were violent clashes elsewhere in the city.
Police condemned the violence and said there had been many serious injuries in fights between people of “different views”.
“They threw petrol bombs at police vehicles and police officers, and even attempted to snatch the revolver of a police officer,” police said in a statement on Sunday.
The protests picked up in June over legislation, now withdrawn, that would have allowed suspects to be sent to mainland China for trial. Demands have since broadened into calls for universal suffrage.
The protesters are angry about what they see as creeping Chinese interference in Hong Kong, which returned to China in 1997 under a “one country, two systems” formula intended to guarantee freedoms that are not enjoyed on the mainland.
China says it is committed to the “one country, two systems” arrangement and denies meddling. It has accused foreign governments including the United States and Britain of inciting the unrest.
Reporting by Poppy McPherson, Jessie Pang, Farah Master and Twinnie Siu; Writing by Nick Macfie; Editing by Robert Birsel