HONG KONG - Hong Kong was in a state of
unprecedented lockdown on Tuesday, with barricades in the city
centre, shuttered stores and a heavy police presence, as
authorities scrambled to ensure protests do not overshadow
China's National Day celebrations in Beijing.
The former British colony has been racked by nearly four
months of street clashes and demonstrations, posing the gravest
popular challenge to Chinese President Xi Jinping since he came
to power.
Protesters have vowed to seize on the 70th anniversary of
the founding of the People's Republic of China on Tuesday to
propel their calls for greater democracy onto the international
stage, hijacking an occasion Beijing sees as an opportunity to
showcase China's economic and military progress.
Authorities have denied permission for a protest march, but
demonstrations are expected across the city regardless.
"I’d rather die than have no freedom,” said a college
student who identified himself as just Green, speaking outside
the Che Kung Temple in the New Territories region where a
protest is expected.
Police said on Monday they expected a "very serious violent
attack" in the city but gave no details.
Police said they arrested five people, aged between 17 and
25, in the central district of Wan Chai on Monday night after
finding them with walkie-talkies, lighters and material for
petrol bombs, including 18 litres (4.75 gallons) of fuel and
empty bottles.
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
Hundreds of officials and members of the pro-establishment
elite began the day with a flag-raising ceremony and National
Day reception at the Convention and Exhibition Centre, held
early and moved behind closed doors. Roads to the centre were
closed and tightly policed.
Hong Kong has benefited from China's support under the "one
country, two systems" policy, acting Chief Executive Matthew
Cheung told the assembly, referring to guarantees of political
freedoms after the city's handover from British to Chinese rule
in 1997.
However, he said the "escalating violence of some radical
protesters, including unlawful assemblies and blockage of roads,
petrol bomb hurling, arson and attacks on other citizens, has
not only disrupted social order but also posed a severe
challenge to the rule of law, affecting the safety and normal
lives of citizens".
The protests had "further hit the local economy, which is
already facing downward pressure", he added.
The protests have taken a heavy toll on shopping malls that
house some of the world's best-known luxury brands, with many
closing early in recent weeks amid escalating violence.
The IFC mall, close to the city centre, was closed on
Tuesday. One of Hong Kong's largest upscale shopping centres,
IFC houses an Apple Inc store, jewellers Tiffany & Co
and Chow Sang Sang, cosmetics maker L'Occitane
and Gucci, which is owned by French group Kering
.
The closure of IFC and several other malls means retailers
will miss out on what would normally be a busy shopping week,
when mainland tour groups traditionally flood in for the annual
Golden Week holiday.
Latest data showed visitor arrivals plunged 39% in August
from a year earlier, with the number of mainland tourists to
Hong Kong dropping 42.3% over the period.
EARLY SCUFFLE
Cheung called a first "open dialogue" last week with
citizens an important step and said more would follow.
A group of protesters outside the venue shouted "No national
day celebrations, only national day mourning", and called for
those arrested during recent clashes to be released. Police
fired pepper spray during a scuffle outside a nearby train
station.
Rail operator MTR Corp closed some flash-point metro
stations.
The government of embattled leader Carrie Lam has already
cancelled an annual Oct. 1 fireworks display over the city's
Victoria Harbour, citing public safety.
Lam, who was trapped in a stadium for hours last week after
attending the "open dialogue", left for Beijing on Monday to
celebrate China's birthday on the mainland. She will return on
Tuesday.
PROTESTS, PARADES
In contrast to events in Hong Kong, Beijing's carefully
choreographed anniversary festivities included troops marching
through part of Tiananmen Square with new missiles and floats
celebrating the country's technological prowess.
The Communist Party leadership is determined to project an
image of national strength and unity in the face of challenges
including Hong Kong's unrest, slowing economic growth and a
trade war with the United States.
"On our journey forward, we must uphold the principles of
peaceful reunification and one country, two systems; maintain
lasting prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and Macau ... and
continue to strive for the motherland's complete reunification,"
Xi said in his nationally televised speech in Beijing.
Hong Kong protesters are angry about what they see as
creeping Chinese interference in the Asian financial centre.
China dismisses the accusation and has accused foreign
governments, including the United States and Britain, of fanning
anti-China sentiment.
Last month, Beijing moved thousands of troops across the
border into the city. The Xinhua state news agency described the
movement as routine rotation.
Asian and Western envoys in Hong Kong, however, have said
the absence of any evidence that troops had been withdrawn
suggested it was a reinforcement, with the largest-ever regular
army force now stationed in the city.