Sunday, September 8, 2019

Yet another troubled Sunday this summer in Hong Kong

A peaceful evening walk through Victoria Park
like this would not have been possible tonight

How many Hong Kongers feel about the MTR these days

I am one of those people who regularly spends quite a bit of time in Causeway Bay.  As a matter of fact, I had both lunch and dinner in the area yesterday.  As luck would have it though, I was not in that part of town which is a major shopping and entertainment as well as dining district this evening.  Otherwise, I might have caught whiffs of tear gas again thanks to the police having unleashed a "tear gas buffet" in Causeway Bay this evening

As it so happens, I was due to have dinner tonight with friends over in Kennedy Town.  And even after I read about Central MTR station having been closed in the afternoon, with arrests having been made there by the police and the station subsequently being trashed by angry protesters (in the area to take part in a march in support of the Hong Kong Democratic and Human Rights Act), I still thought I could make my way to the western side of Hong Kong Island -- by bus (rather than MTR, since I didn't want to risk being caught in a situation like the poor people in Prince Edward two Saturdays ago) -- only to decide to give up the idea after waiting in vain for half an hour for a bus -- which regularly runs every 15 minutes at most -- to take me there.

Upon returning to my apartment, I got online and came across sights and reports that show a further escalation of the violence and conflict that Hong Kong now regularly sees on weekends (and some weeknights too).  For some people, the most shocking sights today have involved the trashing of Central MTR station.  For me, it remains the police's wanton use of a whole array of weaponry, including tear gas, in unlikely places and in ways in which they clearly had not been intended to be used, on people, many of whom don't even appear to have been protesters.   

Something else that also shocked me today was that the riot police seemed to be arresting people everywhere -- particularly young people, on the assumption that they inevitably are radical and violent protesters -- tonight, including in my neighborhood and that hotbed of crime (not!), Victoria Park!  For, in all honesty, I still don't think that Hong Kong is full of criminals.  As such, I really wouldn't be surprised if a good number of the arrests made this summer turn out to have been uncalled for and the vast majority of the cases against arrestees will be tossed out of court, if they even make it into court at all!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi There,

I was walking along Electric Road trying to look for something to eat a bit after 1900 hrs last night but have to turn tail back towards North Point when I heard of Tear Gas had been released at East Point Road. It was then I saw 5 to 7 Police vehicles racing towards Causeway Bay.

I had had a few close calls in the recent past. I was in Hang Hau for supper last week when the MTR station was crowded up. Had to get away by bus at the Hang Hau North Terminus.

I was in Yuen Long back in July on that particular day totally unaware of the white T-shirt group situation. Looking back, no wonder the elder street hawker was so eager to slash prices to get rid of her boxes of fruits that day.

T

YTSL said...

Hi T --

Electric Road seemed safe to me yesterday evening -- though it's also true that one point, the riot police looked to have rounded up a group of people to check out/arrest just off it at Oil Street. I actually ended up having dinner (by myself) in a ramen place on Shell Street before heading back to the safety of my apartment.

I'm glad to hear that nothing untoward happened to you in Yuen Long on July 21st. I've yet to visit Yuen Long since then. There's a part of me that wants to -- as I really do think that there's a lot of good food to be had there -- but another part of me that doesn't feel comfortable doing so as yet. :(

peppylady (Dora) said...

Our area so small and the local law enforcement has a tank just in case there a terrorist attack or something like that. But it wouldn't suprise me if setting with flat tire.
Coffee is on

Anonymous said...

Hi There,

I was lucky, I think. I was about an hour and a half ahead of the incident. I was having something to eat at Oliver's Super Sandwitch that day at around 2000 hrs and was gone by 2100 hrs.

Yuen Long looked fine about two to three weeks ago. But I am still wary walking around there.
I was back there then and bought some cakes at 一肥貓 (https://www.weekendhk.com/847032/dining/%E5%85%83%E6%9C%97-%E4%B8%80%E8%82%A5%E8%B2%93%E5%8F%A4%E7%A5%96%E5%91%B3%E8%9B%8B%E7%B3%95-%E5%8F%B0%E7%81%A3%E5%8F%A4%E6%97%A9%E5%91%B3%E8%9B%8B%E7%B3%95-%E5%8F%B0%E7%81%A3/) at Yau Sun Street. That's a taiwanese style cake shop. If you have not tried it yet and if it is opened next time you are there, try it out. Highly recommended.

I am sort of worried about the retail market in general. Before I was in North Point yesterday, I was in Stanley. Bars and restaurants were only about half full. Not like any Sunday last year.

Th

YTSL said...

Hi peppylady --

I'm shocked that your local law enforcement has a tank! I hope it never needs to get used -- and sounds like it hasn't been used all these years that they've had it (which, I presume, was shortly after the events of 9/11 some eight years ago now).

Hi again T (since I suspect Th's a typo!) --

I do think that bars and restaurants have been adversely affected by this summer's unrest, particularly those that count on getting dinner and evening patrons. On the other hand, I get the feeling that the popular places remain pretty popular (and hard to get seats and tables at). E.g., when I had dinner at Uehara last month, every seat was filled -- which, as a matter of fact, wasn't the case some of the times I previously had been there over the years.