The busy Hong Kong tourist district dealing with the destructive aftermath of pitched battles between radicals and police
- Roads around Tsim Sha Tsui are blocked, pavements destroyed, and the smell of tear gas lingers as charred remains of petrol bombs are strewn everywhere
- Sino Group chairman Robert Ng and son Daryl Ng among those to roll up their sleeves in bid to get neighbourhood back to normal
Businesses and residents in a Hong Kong tourist district picked up the pieces on Tuesday, a day after petrol bombs, tear gas, and water spray flew through the air during intense clashes between radical protesters and police.
Heaps of rubbish, bricks and barricades littered the roads of Tsim Sha Tsui East, cutting off access to the area.
Roads on the scenic waterfront were ripped open on Monday as radicals unearthed bricks, leaving nothing but dusty and barren pavements in their wake.
Some members of the public began to remove barricades on Tuesday, among them property developer Sino Group chairman Robert Ng Chee Siong, 67, and his son Daryl Ng Win-kong, 41. The pair rolled up their sleeves, put on gloves, and removed bricks with brooms and by hand. The company’s headquarters is in the neighbourhood.
On a section of Granville Road opposite to the Science Museum, which was the epicentre of the clashes, most of the shops and restaurants remained shut.
“We closed at around 2pm yesterday because a lot was going on outside,” said Wong Siu-ying, 30, owner of the Golden Chinese Hamburger restaurant. “We’ll close earlier again today if the police and protesters start fighting again.”