Hong Kong airport targeted after worst clashes in 3 months

An elderly man implores police not to charge at train station in Hong Kong on Sunday. Pic/AFP

Hong Kong was reeling on Sunday from some of the worst clashes to rock the city since unrest began three months ago after hardcore pro-democracy protesters hurled petrol bombs at police who fired tear gas and deployed water cannon, before making mass arrests inside train stations. Officers made 40 arrests at one station.

Police had banned a planned protest on security grounds, but tens of thousands Saturday marched through the city's main highways for the 13th consecutive weekend. The rally quickly descended into violent clashes with riot police which stretched into the early hours of Sunday. Some 31 people were admitted to hospital with injuries, including five who remain in a serious condition.

Flights cancelled

At least 16 flights were cancelled on Sunday as thousands of pro-democracy activists blocked routes to Hong Kong's airport. Earlier, Airport Express train operators suspended services after the station was besieged, while protesters - hiding from CCTV cameras under umbrellas - built barricades at the bus terminus and attempted to stop traffic on the road leading to the facility.

Sunday's action is the latest in three months of increasingly violent protests sparked initially by opposition to a proposed law that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, but which morphed into a broader anti-government movement.

31
No. of people injured in the clashes

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