Hong Kong activists on mission to reach Xi Jinping turned back at Macau ferry terminal

Rally organisers planning pro-democracy protests during President Xi Jinping's two-day visit have been told by Macau police to amend their routes to quieter streets and locations farther away from Xi's hotel.

The order came as 14 activists from Hong Kong and four Apple Daily reporters were denied entry to Macau yesterday, ahead of the 15th anniversary of the former Portuguese enclave's handover to China.

As Xi attends the celebrations, hundreds of residents are expected to turn out this afternoon for the rallies, organised separately by Macau's Labour Party and Macau Conscience, to call for democracy, a clean government and better labour rights.

Macau Conscience had planned to protest at Colina da Penha near Xi's hotel, but were told on Wednesday to move to a farther location, group member Jason Chao Teng-hei said.

"For the first time, the police have informed us of the decision only a few days before the protest and have therefore left us no time to appeal against it," Chao said.

Xi arrived in Macau yesterday, and more than a dozen police officers blocked several group members - who were holding the yellow umbrellas that symbolised Hong Kong's Occupy Central movement - as they neared Colina da Penha, he said.