ELIZABETH TANG Yin-ngor is an experienced general on the protest front: the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions chief executive has been a full-time unionist for the past 15 years. But her WTO mission puts all previous demonstrations in the shade.
'These are by far the biggest protests I have handled,' says Tang, 48. As chairperson of the Hong Kong People's Alliance on WTO, she acts as host to thousands of overseas activists seeking to highlight the impact of unfair trade practices at the World Trade Organisation ministerial conference starting today.
The process is like 'co-ordinating a battle', says Tang, who is charged with helping activists put across their views to a global audience amid the heaviest security Hong Kong has seen.
In the past few months, Tang has had to spend gruelling weeks on the road sorting out the needs of representatives from around the globe. With a tiny support team, her life has been hectic in the weeks leading up to the WTO talks - and it's about to get worse.
She leaves her Prince Edward Road home early in the morning and it's often midnight when she returns, all the time clutching a crammed appointment book.
Meetings to sort out strategy and logistics fill much of the day, and her mobile phone is all but glued to her ear. One minute she's answering a call from an Argentine activist whose hotel has apparently lost his booking, the next she's helping some Indonesians stranded at the airport. Then there are daily calls from reporters, and briefings for arriving activists.