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University Says 100 Protesters Still Besieged: Hong Kong Update

Protesters Disrupt Commute After Senate Vote: Hong Kong Update

(Bloomberg) -- The president of a Hong Kong university that’s been the site of a standoff between protesters and police said some 100 protesters remained on campus, hours after the city’s security chief urged those still holed up since the weekend to surrender.

Other demonstrators carried out a new wave of transit disruptions during the financial hub’s morning commute as protesters attempted to maintain momentum on Wednesday for an offensive that has raged since a student died of injuries suffered near a rally almost two weeks ago. The pro-democracy movement received a boost from Washington, as the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill supporting them and warning China against a violent suppression of the protests.

University Says 100 Protesters Still Besieged: Hong Kong Update

The city has been gripped for days by the standoff at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, where hard-core protesters remain despite leader Carrie Lam’s demands for them to give up peacefully. The unrest began in June with largely peaceful marches against legislation allowing extraditions to mainland China and have since mushroomed into a broader push for demands including an independent probe into police violence and the ability to nominate and elect city leaders.

Key Developments:

  • PolyU says some 100 protesters remain on campus
  • Chinese envoy hits back at U.K. government
  • Security chief urges PolyU protesters to surrender
  • Demonstrators disrupt train services again Wednesday
  • Senate passes Hong Kong bill opposed by China
  • Beijing threatens retaliation against U.S.

Here’s the latest (all times local):

Chinese envoy hits back at U.K. (8:54 p.m.)

Liu Xiaoming, China’s ambassador to the U.K., expressed “strong dissatisfaction” with the “wrong” remarks made by the U.K. government on Hong Kong, according to a statement posted on the website of the Chinese embassy in London.

In a meeting with U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Liu asked the British government to “get a clear understanding” of the situation in the city and immediately stop any behavior that condones “extreme violent crime.” The Chinese envoy added that former U.K. consulate staffer Simon Cheng, who alleges he was tortured in mainland China in August, had “confessed to the fact he violated laws.”

Lam holds special meeting (8:08 p.m.)

Chief Executive Lam held a special meeting with heads of government departments. She urged them to work harder in these challenging times and see restoring social order as a goal, along with being more “people-oriented” in solving the problems faced by citizens, according to her Facebook page. Lam said this was in response to citizens’ demands for a strengthening of coordination between Hong Kong’s authorities in order to tackle violence and vandalism in society.

The government would do its best to clarify “rumors” and explain the latest situation in Hong Kong to outsiders as there was false information on the Internet, according to the statement.

PolyU says 100 protesters remain (3:57 p.m.)

Some 100 protesters remain on campus, 20 of whom are PolyU students, university President Teng Jin-guang told reporters outside the school. He reiterated the hope for a peaceful resolution to the situation, adding that he was not aware of any deadlines for people to leave before police would enter the campus.

Cheng alleges torture by Chinese agents (3:49 p.m.)

Simon Cheng, a former employee of the U.K.’s Hong Kong consulate detained in mainland China in August, said he was tortured by Chinese secret police and pressed for information on participants in the financial hub’s protests. Cheng -- a Hong Kong resident who worked for the consulate’s business-development team before he went missing for 15 days -- made the allegations in a lengthy Facebook post Wednesday. The 29-year-old said he was handcuffed to a chair and forced into stress positions for hours.

U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said in a statement about Cheng’s case that his office was “shocked and appalled by the mistreatment he suffered while in Chinese detention, which amounts to torture.” Cheng’s story was reported moments earlier by several media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, the BBC and the Daily Telegraph.

Police say 213 people charged with rioting in Monday protest (3:07 p.m.)

Police said 173 men and 40 women ages 14 to 45 have been charged with alleged rioting after a gathering in the Yau Ma Tei area of Kowloon late Monday. They were due in city courts Wednesday. Offenders can face up to 10 years in jail under the charge.

More lunchtime protests (1:10 p.m.)

Hundreds of protesters -- some wearing masks and office attire -- took over sidewalks in the Central business district during their lunch hours. Riot police put up a flag warning they’d use force to disperse them, though traffic was largely uninterrupted.

Separately, in another busy area -- the Kwun Tong neighborhood of Kowloon -- hundreds of demonstrators marched down a main road and blocked traffic. Many were holding up their hands, with five fingers representing the protest movement’s five main demands.

Train services improve (11:49 a.m.)

Train services on the Island, Tsuen Wan and Kwun Tong lines are gradually returning to normal after morning disruptions, the MTR Corp. said on its website. Services between East Tsim Sha Tsui and Tuen Mun stations on the West Rail Line were running normally, although the East Rail Line still faces disruptions.

Security chief urges surrender (10:15 a.m.)

Security Secretary John Lee urged protesters still on the PolyU campus to surrender to the police “in a peaceful and orderly manner” Wednesday, adding that the incident “cannot drag on forever.” Almost 900 had surrendered themselves to police, 300 of which were under the age of 18, he told reporters outside the legislative council chamber.

Police will work with other departments to try to clear road blocks and re-open surrounding roads and the nearby Cross Harbour Tunnel, he said. Lee also said authorities arrested 730 people for various crimes Tuesday, although he didn’t say whether that included the PolyU protesters.

China repeats retaliation threat (9:23 a.m.)

China repeated its threat to retaliate if the U.S. follows through and makes a bill supporting Hong Kong protesters into law. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang urged the U.S. to take immediate measures to prevent the bill from becoming law. The legislation that passed the Senate on Tuesday in Washington still needs approval from the U.S. House and the president to take effect.

Separately, the Hong Kong government expressed “extreme regret” over the Senate action, calling the legislation “unfounded” and “unnecessary.”

MTR services disrupted (8:35 a.m.)

Several of Hong Kong’s rail services were suspended or slowed as activists answered calls to again disrupt the morning commute. Trains between East Tsim Sha Tsui and Tuen Mun stations on the West Rail Line were running at 8-minute intervals due to damage and train door obstructions at various stations, the MTR Corp. said on its website. More details here:

  • West Rail Line:
    • Service between Hung Hom and East Tsim Sha Tsui is suspended.
    • Trains aren’t stopping at Yuen Long and Tin Shui Wai stations.
  • East Rail Line:
    • Hung Hom to Mong Kok East station services suspended due to damage.
    • Service between Mong Kok East and Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau stations are running at reduced intervals.
    • Trains aren’t stopping at University station.
  • Extra traveling time is required on the Island, Tsuen Wan, Kwun Tong and Tseung Kwan O lines due to door obstructions and passengers requesting assistance.

U.S. Senate passes Hong Kong bill (7:02 a.m.)

The Senate unanimously passed a bill aimed at supporting protesters in Hong Kong and warning China against a violent suppression of the demonstrations, a stark contrast to President Donald Trump’s near-silence on the issue. The vote marks a challenge to the government in Beijing just as the U.S. and China, the world’s largest economies, seek to close a preliminary agreement to end their trade war. The Senate measure would require annual reviews of Hong Kong’s special status under U.S. law to assess the extent to which China has chipped away at the city’s autonomy.

--With assistance from Fion Li, Daniel Flatley, Jason Scott, Gregor Stuart Hunter and Crystal Chui.

To contact the reporters on this story: Natalie Lung in Hong Kong at flung6@bloomberg.net;Iain Marlow in Hong Kong at imarlow1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Chris Kay, Colin Keatinge

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