Stranded passengers voice support for Hong Kong protesters

Travellers in Hong Kong's airport voiced support for pro-democracy demonstrators on Tuesday, despite an overnight occupation of the international transit hub that saw tens of thousands of passengers stranded.

The airport, one of the busiest in the world, reopened on Tuesday morning but hundreds of flights remained cancelled and several hundred protesters returned for a fresh rally on Tuesday afternoon.

Monday's abrupt closure came 10 weeks into a crisis that has seen millions of people take to Hong Kong's streets in the biggest challenge to Chinese rule of the semi-autonomous city since its 1997 handover from Britain.

"It may affect me, but I still know what they are doing and I support them so it doesn't matter, said 27-year-old advertising worker Mag Mak, whose flight back home to Hong Kong from Dubai was delayed by five hours.

"I think the government is so rubbish and they don't have any response to the protesters," she added.

Frank Filser, 53, was struggling to reschedule a flight back to Germany to visit his father who has terminal cancer.

But he said he sympathised with the protesters despite the disruption.

"They fight for Hong Kong and that's their view," he said.

"Anytime I can go back to Germany, but what about the people who grew up here? This is their home."

Real estate worker Tibor, a long-term foreign resident of Hong Kong, was waiting at the terminal for a rescheduled flight after his journey on Monday was cancelled.

He said he understood the protests because "it's really frustrating to live in a society where your government is not really having a dialogue with their own people".

A wide cross-section of Hong Kong has taken to the streets in recent weeks to show their support for the pro-democracy movement and condemn the police response to protests, including rallies of elderly residents and civil servants.

But the movement has divided parts of the city, with small demonstrations in support of police and the government, and scuffles breaking out between pro-Beijing residents and protesters in some neighbourhoods.

Some passengers at the airport took a less forgiving view of the occupation.

The nationalistic Chinese tabloid the Global Times tweeted footage of one irate Australian passenger who confronted young demonstrators and told them to "go get a job".

Others told AFP they were angry at having their travel plans frustrated.

"I don't mind what they [the protesters] do but they made us five hours delayed," said 50-year-old Wing Au-yeung, who had stopped off in the city to collect his aged mother before travelling to South Korea with his family.

"They can do what they want but it should not affect other people."

'When will you die?' Hong Kong leader grilled at press conference
Hong Kong (AFP) Aug 13, 2019 - When Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam appeared before the press on Tuesday, she appeared to be expecting to deliver a brief statement and move on. Instead she faced a media onslaught.

No sooner were her prepared remarks finished than the full-frontal assault -- in both Cantonese and English -- began.

"You blame your own political misjudgement on others, and refuse to acknowledge your mistakes," one journalist said.

"When will you accept political responsibility to end citizens' fear?... When will you be willing to step down? When will you tell the police to stop?," the reporter from Hong Kong's public broadcaster RTHK asked.

Before Lam could respond, the reporter added an admonition: "You asked me in the past to take my job seriously, so please answer me seriously as well."

The embattled Beijing-backed leader began to reply but more questions were shouted.

"Citizens are afraid of you and the police, can you answer the question?"

The combative press conference was an indication of the rising tensions in the city after a weekend of violence that left dozens of people with injuries, some of them serious.

Under the "One country, two systems" principle, the media in Hong Kong enjoys freedoms unheard of in mainland China. A broad spectrum of political leanings are represented, from fiesty independent elements to strongly pro-Beijing outlets.

Lam at times appeared caught off-guard by the intensity of the questioning, with reporters repeatedly interrupting her and accusing her of failing to respond.

"Please don't interrupt," an official pleaded as reporters shouted over Lam.

At one point she paused, looked down, and then looked up again at reporters with her eyebrows raised as they continued to fire questions at her.

At other moments, she sipped from a glass of water as the barrage of questions continued.

In her opening remarks she called for calm.

"I again ask everyone to put aside your differences and calm down," Lam said, who appeared to be on the verge of tears at one point.

"Take a minute to think, look at our city, our home, do you all really want to see it pushed into an abyss?"

Lam defended the police against accusations of excessive force over the weekend, when rounds of tear gas were fired into subway stations and on crowded shopping streets.

She said she was "heartbroken" by reports of serious injuries, but offered no concessions to the demonstrators and insisted that police were facing "extremely difficult circumstances".

"This question has been answered," she repeated as she was pressed on whether Beijing would allow her to fully withdraw a now-suspended bill allowing extradition to the mainland -- a key protester demand.

And the barrage continued as she abruptly left the podium: "Do you have a conscience?" shouted one journalist.

"Mrs Lam, many citizens have been asking recently when you will die," yelled another.

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Cathay Pacific warns staff over 'illegal protests'
Hong Kong (AFP) Aug 12, 2019
Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific warned staff on Monday that they could be fired for supporting "illegal protests", as the firm comes under pressure from Beijing over pro-democracy demonstrations. The flagship carrier's stock plunged more than four percent in Hong Kong trade on Monday after Beijing imposed new rules banning airline staff involved in the Hong Kong protests from flights to or over the mainland. The airline cancelled over 150 flights last week as a result of a strike linked to the ... read more