Australians travelling to Hong Kong have been warned to exercise a “high degree of caution” as their home country became the latest to issue a travel warning for the city since July. “There is a risk of violent confrontation between protesters and police, or criminally linked individuals, particularly at unauthorised protests,” said Australia ’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in statement. Ireland , Japan , Britain and Singapore have all also issued similar travel warnings. Hong Kong Lennon Wall torn down at Australian university On Tuesday night, Hong Kong police clashed with about 100 protesters and residents in the working-class district of Sham Shui Po after a student union leader was detained for carrying laser pointers . Keith Fong was held on the charge of possessing offensives weapons – namely 10 laser pens – but Hong Kong Baptist University’s Student Union accused the police of fabricating the charge in order to arrest people arbitrarily and called for his immediate release. On Wednesday a message was circulating on the messaging app Telegram saying Fong’s arrest “precisely shows the power of the extradition bill … they can arrest you on a whim.” Australia said the protests were expected to continue and had become more unpredictable, with the foreign affairs department strongly recommended staying away from large public gatherings, adding that the risk was greater at night and on weekends. As of Wednesday, the US state department and the Canadian government still had their alert set to “normal precautions,” for the city. Singapore becomes an option for Hongkongers amid political crisis Hong Kong is in its ninth week of consecutive mass protests, with police firing 800 canisters of tear gas during protests on Monday as they looked to clear demonstrators from at least seven districts across Hong Kong. On Tuesday, shops were closed in North Point from mid-afternoon after rumours circulated that busloads of people were coming from Fujian province in mainland China. Other reports suggested protesters would be going after the men in white who attacked them the previous night. The protests began in opposition to a now-suspended extradition law, which would have allowed suspects to be tried in mainland Chinese courts. They have now broadened into a backlash against the government of the Asian financial hub, fuelled by many residents’ fears of eroding freedoms under the tightening control of China’s Communist Party leaders in Beijing. More than 5 million people visited Hong Kong in June this year, of which roughly 80 per cent were from mainland China. Around 100,000 Australians are estimated to be living in Hong Kong, foreign minister Marise Payne said on Tuesday. Additional reporting by Bloomberg