(Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong officials and Chinese state media warned of consequences if violence continued, as a third-straight day of
protests disrupted traffic across the city and the government announced for the first time that it would close public schools.The city remained confident in its ability to contain the chaos, Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung -- Hong Kong’s No. 2 official -- said as he briefed reporters following morning traffic disruptions by protesters. Demonstrators returned to the Chinese University of Hong Kong and further rallies took place in the financial hub into Wednesday evening.Commuters packed onto the first trains on Wednesday morning as activists continued to impede rush-hour traffic in a show of anger over the government’s response and
police tactics. Several MTR Corp. services including the entire East Rail Line and parts of the Kwun Tong and West Rail lines were already shut due to vandalism and protest actions. Numerous bus lines were halted and several schools suspended classes.The protests which have been raging for five months in pursuit of greater democracy in the former
British colony intensified Friday after a student died of injuries sustained near a protest. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam -- with a fresh nod of support from Communist Party leaders in
Beijing -- has vowed not to give in to violent demonstrations.Key developments:City suspends all public school classes on Thursday.Security chief warns of “unthinkable” consequences if violence continues.Protests kicked off in financial center Wednesday after the morning commute was disrupted across the city.Local stocks fell, with the benchmark Hang Seng index closing down 1.8%.Oxfam cancels popular Trailwalker event due to unrest.Chinese state media says city at “most critical juncture.”Here’s the latest (all times local):Riot Police Move Into Business District (8:07 p.m.)In Central, Hong Kong’s business and retail center, riot police moved in on roads to clear out
protesters in the early evening. Several people were seen being subdued by the police, while others reported pepper spray being used. Officers with helmets, face masks, batons and shields were seen guarding the streets at around 8 p.m. Very few pedestrians were seen in the normally busy area.The “unpredictability of the situation in Hong Kong” also led to the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines and Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. to cancel the 63rd Assembly of Presidents event scheduled to take place next week in the city, the companies said in a joint statement.HKU cancels classes for the week (5:51 p.m.)The University of Hong Kong, one of the city’s premier academic institutions, said it would suspend classes for the remainder of the school week from Nov. 14-16. It cited uncertainties with the transportation system and time needed to repair damage to facilities across its campus, and said offices would remain open.Taiwan offers to evacuate its CUHK students (5:41 p.m.)Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council has arranged buses and flights back to the democratically run island for 85 Taiwanese students who attend the Chinese University of Hong Kong, council spokesman Chiu Chui-cheng said. He said 197 students, including those who arranged their own travel, were expected to return to Taiwan from Hong Kong Wednesday and that the government would continue to monitor the situation in the city and provide necessary assistance.There are 1,021 Taiwanese students currently enrolled in universities in neighboring Hong Kong. CUHK was the site of fierce clashes between protesters and police Tuesday.Police fired 1,600 tear gas rounds Tuesday (5 p.m.)Police officials said Wednesday that 1,567 rounds of tear gas were fired and 142 people arrested Tuesday, a day marked by fierce clashes between protesters and officers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The school’s campus “is not a place out of the law,” said Chief Superintendent for Public Relations Tse Chun-chung.Police said they had no choice but to use force and set up cordon lines at a footbridge on the campus Tuesday night, and that they fired the gas when “rioters” didn’t stop throwing bricks at their cordon. The university contacted the police force several times Tuesday to ask the officers to leave, police added. They said they agreed to on condition protesters stopped throwing objects including bricks and
fire bombs at them, but the demonstrators persisted.China condemns U.S. bill (3:30 p.m.)Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang condemned U.S. legislation designed to support Hong Kong protesters, urging
Washington to immediately stop interfering in the country’s affairs. Geng promised resolute measures to safeguard China’s interests if the bill passes.Protest violence has pushed Hong Kong into an extremely dangerous situation situation, Geng said, reiterating Beijing’s support for the city’s police force.Classes suspended Thursday (2:24 p.m.)Hong Kong’s Education Bureau announced that all kindergartens, primary and secondary schools and special-needs schools would suspend classes on Thursday for safety reasons. Classes at some local campuses had already been canceled Wednesday, the day after violent clashes raged between police and protesters at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.Oxfam cancels race (2:08 p.m.)Oxfam Hong Kong said it was canceling its 100 kilometer (62 mile) Trailwalker race, citing unforeseeable developments in recent social events and the ongoing traffic situation. The organization said it had made the “difficult decision” after careful consideration as it prioritized the safety of participants and volunteers. It had been scheduled for Friday through Sunday. About 5,000 walkers participate in the event annually.China ratchets up rhetoric (1:31 p.m.)Chinese state media responded to the escalating street violence in Hong Kong with harshly-worded commentaries, condemning some politicians and teachers for emboldening the demonstrators as social media users called protesters “cockroaches” and “thugs.” From late Tuesday to Wednesday morning, major state-owned news outlets including the Communist Party’s Global Times, People’s Daily and Xinhua News Agency ran stories on Hong Kong highlighting destructive behavior by pro-democracy protesters. The Global Times repeated a warning that Beijing could intervene militarily.Protesters gather in Central (12:36 p.m.)Crowds of people began gathering in the Central financial district, an area popular with tourists and shoppers and usually packed with office workers at lunchtime. Some protesters set up a barricade at the normally busy intersection of Des Voeux Road and Pedder Street, a corner of the city surrounded by luxury stores and near the Landmark mall, and others moved bricks that had been scattered on the road so that a fire truck could pass.Local stocks slump (11:02 a.m.)The slump in Hong Kong equities risks turning into a rout as the protests gripping the city show only signs of escalating. The benchmark Hang Seng Index lost 2.1% as of 10:47 a.m., heading for its lowest close in a month.Protesters gird for campus showdown (11 a.m.)Hundreds of black-clad protesters returned to the campus of Chinese University in Hong Kong’s northeast, where the city saw some of the fiercest clashes between police on the previous night. Demonstrators had blocked the Tolo Highway and occupied bridge above it, where they had stockpiled bricks and petrol bombs.Meanwhile, a 5 p.m. court hearing was scheduled to consider CUHK Student Union President So Tsun Fung’s application for an injunction to prevent police from entering the campus and deploying “crowd control” measures without permission. “The abuse of tear-gas firing endangered the campus and safety of the students,” So told reporters.Top officials address chaos (10:57 a.m.)Local security minister John Lee warned of “unthinkable” consequences if violence continued in Hong Kong, telling reporters that no area was exempt from the law -- including universities -- after a night of clashes at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The Hong Kong government is confident that it has the capability to stop violence and contain chaos, Cheung -- the chief secretary-- said at the same media briefing. Cheung said citizens must disassociate themselves from violent protesters.Calls for noon rally (10:31 a.m.)Protesters called online for a “Lunch 3.0” gathering in Central, Admiralty, and Wan Chai -- the neighborhoods at the heart of Hong Kong’s financial hub -- meant to paralyze the area for a third straight afternoon.City at ‘most critical juncture’: Xinhua (8:59 a.m.)Hong Kong is at “the most critical juncture” as the violent acts of “black-clad rioters” are close to that of terrorism, the official Xinhua News Agency said in a commentary. Many Hong Kong people have already been “swept into a morbid state of bipolarism” over months of protest, it said, warning that “if this kind of oddity was allowed to continue society would be left with little time to correct itself.”“Dialogue can happen when there are political differences, but on matters of principal such as stopping chaos and violence, and the future of Hong Kong, all Hong Kong people should be united in saying no to violence,” the commentary said.Keeping kids home (7:52 a.m.)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 on a government website. The government has so far decided against suspending public school classes despite the disruptions.Christmas tree burns (7:13 a.m.)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.Some train services suspended (6:17 a.m.)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.McConnell to work on legislation (4:30 a.m.)U.S.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell vowed to work on legislation supporting pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, as some senators say they’re growing restless with the chamber’s failure to act. In a speech on the Senate floor, McConnell said “Beijing’s insatiable thirst for control” was undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy.McConnell said he would work “toward a strong and procedurally workable solution” with senators who’ve been pushing legislation designed to put pressure on China. A bill that would allow
sanctions against officials responsible for Hong Kong and require annual reviews of the city’s special trading status has already pass the U.S. House.Clashes at university (11:45 p.m. Tuesday)Protests and clashes continue at multiple locations across the city including Mong Kok, Tai Po, Kowloon Tong and Tseung Kwan O. Riot police repeatedly fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators.The situation at Chinese University of Hong Kong “continues to intensify,” according to an update from the city’s police issued at 11:27 p.m. As officers were “retreating, rioters threw bricks, petrol bombs, launched arrows and even fired a signal flare” at them, according to the statement.Given that the violence had reached a “deadly level” and emergency services were being hampered, police deployed a so-called Specialized Crowd Management Vehicle to “facilitate retreat.” Clashes at the university appeared to abate.Police spray blue dye (10:29 p.m. Tuesday)Police fired streams of blue dye at students congregated in the area of a bridge at Chinese University of Hong Kong, after hours of confrontations, including multiple rounds of tear gas. Students set up barricades to stop riot police from charging. A number of students were injured, including one who was suspected to have been knocked unconscious after a head injury, according to Radio Television Hong Kong.More disruptions planned (8:09 p.m. Tuesday)Protesters called for disruptions to MTR train services starting at 6:15 a.m. on Wednesday, as the city’s busy rush hour kicks off, with people planning to board trains until at least 10:30 a.m. The calls came as clashes again escalated on the Chinese University of Hong Kong campus, with police firing tear gas and protesters and students throwing petrol bombs.\--With assistance from Dominic Lau, Gregor Stuart Hunter, Iain Marlow, Dandan Li, Fion Li, Bei Hu, Venus Feng, Stephen Engle, Aaron Mc Nicholas and Shirley Zhao.To contact the reporter on this story: Natalie Lung in Hong Kong at flung6@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Colin Keatinge, Chris KayFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.