HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s airport, one of the world’s busiest, has canceled all remaining flights for the day after thousands of pro-democracy protesters crowded into the main terminal.
Hong Kong International Airport said in a statement Monday afternoon that the demonstration “seriously disrupted” airport operations. It said all check-in services for departing flights had been suspended.
It said only those flights that have already completed the check-in process will move ahead.
Hong Kong has experienced more than two months of mass protests calling for democratic reforms and an independent inquiry into police conduct.
The protest movement’s demands also include the resignation of the Chinese territory’s leader and an election for her successor.
Hong Kong, a former British colony, was returned to China in 1997 under the “one country, two systems” principle.
Hong Kong police also showed off water cannons as pro-democracy street protests stretched into their 10th week with no sign of either side backing down.
The demonstration of specially equipped armored cars came after another weekend of protests at Hong Kong’s bustling international airport and on the streets of one of the city’s main shopping districts.
Legislators and journalists were invited to witness the display of extreme crowd control tactics, which Amnesty International warned last week could lead to serious injuries if misused within Hong Kong’s confined spaces.
During the weekend protests, website Hong Kong Free Press showed footage of one arrest that appeared to include officers pinning a demonstrator pressed to the ground. The young man, who said his name was Chow Ka-lok and asked for a lawyer, was shown with a bleeding head wound and said he had a broken tooth.
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