Hong Kong protests: battered Polytechnic University faces six months of repairs as police say more than 10,000 petrol bombs seized from campuses across city

A Hong Kong university caught in the crossfire between radical protesters and police will face a substantial bill and take almost half a year to repair, its president said on Friday, calling the institution the “biggest victim” of the current political storm.

Teng Jin-guang, president of Polytechnic University spoke as a 13-day police siege of the campus came to an end. He revealed that of the more than 1,100 people who were arrested after leaving the site, only 46 were registered students at the university. Teng confirmed this included two members of staff but provided no further details.

More than 10,000 petrol bombs had been seized from several universities across the city in the past few weeks, police said.

Teng said: “We are the biggest victim in this political incident. This has had a devastating effect on the teaching and research of our universities.”

The school term was suspended and vast damage was inflicted on the university’s facilities and laboratories. As soon as police left the campus they had besieged since November 17, nearby roads were reopened, while the campus was guarded by security personnel hired by the university. Only students, staff and authorised people were allowed to enter.

The police withdrawal came a day after they went in to search for evidence and remove hazardous items. A total of 3,989 petrol bombs, 1,339 pieces of explosives and 601 bottles of corrosive liquid had been found, alongside 573 items classified as weapons were seized, the force said.