Tag: unrest

Clashes after peaceful crowd takes Hong Kong message to US consulate

  by Jerome TAYLOR / Yan ZHAO Agence France Presse HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Pro-democracy activists jammed Hong Kong streets in a march to the United States consulate on Sunday in a bid to ramp up international pressure on Beijing, but hardcore protesters later clashed with riot police across the city’s core. Millions have demonstrated over the last 14 weeks in the biggest challenge to China’s rule since the city’s handover from Britain in […]

Hong Kong protesters aim to ‘stress test’ airport

  by Jasmine Leung and Jerome Taylor  HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protesters are planning to disrupt transport links to the airport Saturday in the first mobilization of their movement since the city’s leader made a surprise concession earlier this week. Millions of pro-democracy supporters have taken to Hong Kong’s streets for the past three months in the biggest challenge to China’s rule since the city’s handover from Britain in 1997. On […]

Indonesia starts restoring internet access in unrest-hit Papua

  JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia has started restoring internet access in restive Papua, which has been gripped by two weeks of mass protests sparked by anger over racism and fresh calls for self-rule. A low-level insurgency against Indonesian control has simmered for decades in Papua, the country’s easternmost territory, and Jakarta has responded to the recent deadly riots by flooding the region with thousands of extra security personnel. It also blocked internet access to […]

Hong Kong protesters appeal to Merkel before China visit

  BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Hong Kong protest leaders on Wednesday appealed to German Chancellor Angela Merkel to support their push for democracy when she visits China this week. Prominent movement leader Joshua Wong and others recalled in an open letter published by top-selling Bild daily that Merkel grew up in the communist police state of East Germany. “You have first-hand experience of the terrors of a dictatorial government,” wrote Wong, who was temporarily arrested […]

Hong Kong protesters target trains, urge general strike

HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters threw morning rush hour train travel into chaos on Monday, kicking off another day of potential turmoil after a weekend featuring some of the worst violence in three months of anti-government protests. The global financial hub is in the midst of an unprecedented crisis as a largely leaderless movement has drawn millions on to the streets to protest against what they see as an erosion of […]

Fire, tear gas and petrol bombs as Hong Kong engulfed by chaos

  by Elaine YU / Yan ZHAO Agence France Presse HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Chaos engulfed the heart of Hong Kong late Saturday, as police fired tear gas and water cannon at pro-democracy protesters who defied a ban on rallying, set fires, and hurled petrol bombs in some of the most intense clashes in months. Police had banned the demonstration on security grounds, and on Friday arrested several key activists and legislators in a […]

Indonesia blocks internet in Papua over unrest fears

  JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia has cut off internet access in unrest-hit Papua over fears that a stream of offensive and racist online posts would spark more violent protests in the region, the government said Thursday. Riots and demonstrations brought several Papuan cities to a standstill this week, as buildings were torched and street battles broke out between police and protesters in Indonesia’s easternmost territory. A rebel insurgency against Jakarta’s rule has simmered for […]

Indonesia’s Papua hit by fresh unrest as troops deployed

  MANOKWARI, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia’s Papua was hit by fresh unrest Wednesday as more than 1,000 security personnel were sent to the restive region after violent protests that saw buildings torched and street battles between police and demonstrators. Jakarta has called for calm in its easternmost territory — where an insurgency against Indonesian rule has simmered for decades — following riots triggered by the detention of dozens of Papuan students at the weekend. On […]

Cathay Pacific’s torrid week ends with shock CEO resignation

  by Jerome TAYLOR / Elaine YU Agence France Presse HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Cathay Pacific announced the shock resignation on Friday of its CEO Rupert Hogg, compounding a torrid week for the Hong Kong carrier after it was excoriated by Beijing because some staff supported pro-democracy protests. The 72-year-old airline has been left reeling after it became ensnared in the hardening of rhetoric from the communist mainland over ten weeks of anti-government protests […]

China says it won’t ‘sit by’ on Hong Kong, Trump expresses concern

by Jerome TAYLOR HONG KONG, China (AFP) — China warned Thursday that it will not “sit by and watch” the unrest unfolding in Hong Kong, as US President Donald Trump expressed concern over the risk of a violent response to pro-democracy protests. Trump urged his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to meet with demonstrators, while US National Security Advisor John Bolton warned Beijing against creating a “new” Tiananmen Square in Hong Kong, referring to the deadly […]

Chinese military personnel parade near Hong Kong border: AFP

    SHENZHEN, China (AFP) — Thousands of Chinese military personnel waving red flags paraded at a sports stadium in a city across the border from Hong Kong on Thursday, an AFP reporter witnessed. Armored vehicles were also seen inside the stadium in Shenzhen, with the event taking place as concerns build that China may intervene to end 10 weeks of unrest in Hong Kong. State-run media reported this week that the elements of the […]

Trump links Hong Kong crisis to trade as China military rallies

  by Jerome Taylor  HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Donald Trump has urged China to “humanely” resolve the violent stand-off with pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong, on the back of growing concerns that Beijing is considering direct intervention in the crisis. Images taken by AFP on Thursday showed thousands of Chinese military personnel waving red flags and parading at a sports stadium in the city of Shenzhen, just across the border from Hong Kong. Dozens […]