HK: More traffic disruptions after chaotic night

Commuters packed onto the first trains Wednesday morning amid calls by protesters to impede rush-hour traffic. Several MTR Corp services including the Mong Kok and Tuen Mun stations and the entire East Rail Line were already shut due to vandalism. Numerous bus lines were halted and several schools had suspended classes.

The protests, stemmed from the extradition bill incident, have been raging for five months. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor -has vowed not to give in to violent protests.

 

7:52 am  Keeping kids home

The Education Bureau said that parents could decide whether they want to send their children to schools Wednesday because of traffic disruptions, according to a statement issued by the HKSAR government on its website.

7:13 am     Tolo Highway closed

Some bus services were canceled or diverted as Tolo Highway is yet to be re-opened. Traffic on major road including the section of Nathan Road between Prince Edward Road West and Waterloo Road and the section of Argyle Street near Nathan Road were also affected, according to a government press release issued on Wednesday morning.

7 am Christmas tree burned

Mapletree North Asia Commercial Trust said in a corporate filing that its Festival Walk mall in Kowloon Tong sustained extensive damage in protests Tuesday. Protesters, among other things, smashed glass panels at the entrances and set fire to a Christmas tree. The mall will be closed on Wednesday as the company assesses the damage.

6:17 am  Some train services suspended 

East Rail Line service has been suspended due to vandalism at stations, the rail operator MTR Corp said in statement. MTR said it won't provide free shuttle bus service because of “adverse road conditions” after conducting a risk assessment. The Mong Kok, Tuen Mun and Tseung Kwan O stations were also closed.

10 pm    Nail on roads

At illegal gatherings in Central, Kowloon Tong, Tai Po and Mong Kok, radicals built barricades, put nails on roads, set fire, and destroyed pavement and traffic lights. They also hurled petrol bombs and threw bricks at police arriving at the scene to keep order.

9 pm    Police vehicle on fire

Rioters set a police vehicle on fire, assaulted a truck driver and put nails on roads.

A large group of masked rioters besieged a police vehicle and set it on fire on Tai Chung Kiu Road, according to footage released by media. It was not clear whether there were police officers in the vehicle.

Another video clip showed rioters beating up a truck driver with blood all over his face after stopping the truck with barricades.

8:49 pm    Arrows shot at police

A large group of radicals gathered in the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), holding chain saws and bamboo sticks. In clashes with police, they shot arrows, threw gasoline bombs and pointed laser pens at police officers.

Barricades erected by radicals were hit by gasoline bombs and caught on fire, and an explosion was even heard at the scene. Trees and a sedan were also set ablaze.

In a statement, the police warned radical protesters to stop all illegal, violent acts and leave the scene immediately, and said they had to use minimum necessary force during the operation after repeated warnings went in vain.

The CUHK has announced another day of suspension of classes for Wednesday as roads were cut off and facilities were seriously damaged by violent protesters.

5 pm    18 people injured

The Hospital Authority said 10 men and 8 women injured in violent incidents were sent to hospital as of 5:00 pm Tuesday.