Hong Kong protests: second day of calm in city as low-key peaceful protests mark four months since Yuen Long MTR attack and call for an end to PolyU siege
- Campus stand-off in Hung Hom takes step closer to ending as more than 20 protesters leave on Thursday, with just dozens of diehards still holed up
- About 300 gather in Central at lunchtime to support those still trapped in PolyU, while several hundred join sit-in at Yoho mall in evening
Hong Kong had a rare second consecutive day of calm as relatively peaceful protests took place in the city while the government handed a goody to motorists, pledging temporary free use of the Cross-Harbour Tunnel soon, with both moves seen as conciliatory gestures ahead of district council elections on Sunday.
On Thursday night, the police siege at Polytechnic University appeared to edge closer to an end as more than 20 protesters left the campus, leaving dozens of diehards still holed up at the site where radicals and riot police clashed violently on Sunday.
Since police surrounded the Hung Hom campus, which sits next to the tunnel, about 1,000 people have already walked out through checkpoints. Among them, roughly 300 were younger than 18. They had their personal information recorded by police before being allowed to go home. The others were arrested.
The city’s No 2 official, Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, said the toll booths at the tunnel that connects Hung Hom to Causeway Bay had been “completely destroyed” and would have to be “almost entirely rebuilt”. It would also take time to repair the electronic equipment, he added.
“But there is no reason to not resume service just because of the problems with the booths,” he said.
The government could stop charging fees temporarily once it was safe to reopen the tunnel, he said. Tolls range from HK$8 to HK$30 (US$1 to US$3.84).