Hong Kong railway firm MTR Corporation bows to Beijing pressure over anti-government protests
- MTR Corporation announces it will shut stations without notice in case of violence
- Operator had taken flak from state-owned media over perceived softly-softly approach to anti-government actions on its premises
Hong Kong’s embattled railway operator bowed to pressure on Thursday night to get tough on anti-government protesters, after Beijing expressed dismay at its “softly-softly” approach to dealing with their actions at train stations that had at times crippled services.
In a new move, the MTR Corporation announced that from now on, “if fights, vandalism or other acts of violence” occur, services could be stopped and the station immediately closed without notice.
“The police may need to enter stations to take suitable law enforcement when necessary,” it said in a late-night statement after it came under attack from state-owned media outlets.
Its chief executive, Jacob Kam Chak-pui, who took the helm in April, has come under intense scrutiny from the central government, according to a source familiar with the situation.
“Beijing is not happy with the overall performance of the MTR Corp in dealing with the protesters and the staff who are behind them,” the source said. “They think Kam has been too soft. He has come under tremendous pressure to keep the situation in check.”