Tuesday, December 3, 2019

A part of Hong Kong that's seen protest action but also days of peace (Photo-essay)

Last Sunday afternoon, I marched from Tsim Sha Tsui to Hung Hom with hundreds of thousands of other protesters determined to not forget why we started protesting earlier this year and remind people that the five demands have yet to be completely met.  After the police tear gassed and shot pepper spray at people in Tsim Sha Tsui, the protests and general unrest moved onto neighboring Hung Hom, with the section known as Whampoa seeing more tear gas action in the evening.

A video clip showing Whampoa West district councillor, Kwong Po-yin, stopping riot police who had set foot into a private residential space in search of radical protesters to attack and arrest on Sunday evening from venturing further into the area.  "Do not step forward, you are agitating our residents. This is not how you de-escalate. Do you know what is de-escalate?", the pro-democrat politician -- who also happens to be an ER doctor -- demanded of the armed officers.  It is quite the sight and sound to behold.

As it so happens, I was in Hung Hom and Whampoa earlier in the week (and had taken the same cross-harbour ferry between Hung Hom and North Point that I did again on Sunday).  The following is a photo-essay of what this part of Kowloon looks like in calmer times -- though it's worth noting that the friend I was visiting there talked about how she happened to have had her apartment windows open one evening some weeks back when her area was tear gassed, with the result that her abode was filled with tear gas that required quite a bit of effort to wipe clean... 

On the cross-harbour ferry heading to Hung Hom
 
A uncrowded part of Hong Kong
 
 The parked tour buses point to the presence of (Mainland Chinese)
tourists but peace nonetheless prevails for the most part
 
 View from one of the apartments at Whampoa Garden

An apparently landlocked boat is the area's most 
easily recognizable landmark

Believe it or not, The Whampoa is actually a boat-shaped
shopping mall rather than an actual maritime vessel! 
 
One of my more "artistic" photography attempts in Hung Hom ;b
 
On a beautiful, sunny day, Hong Kong's troubles 
and woes can seem far away even if they actually aren't

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