Hong Kong: Thousands of protesters gather in Admiralty June 12 /update 8

Event

Thousands of people are attending ongoing protests in downtown Hong Kong as of 09:30 (local time) on Wednesday, June 12. Protesters initially gathered near the Legislative Council Complex in Admiralty before police officers closed the demonstration area in front of the building. The majority of demonstrators then moved to Lung Wo Road and Harcourt Road. Significant transportation disruptions are reported, including the closure of Harcourt Road and the Queensway and the suspension of MTR service to the Admiralty station. Further demonstrations and associated disruptions are expected throughout the day. A heightened security presence is expected and clashes between protesters and security forces cannot be ruled out.

Context

Mass protests attended by up to 1.03 million people were held in Hong Kong on Sunday, June 9. The protests were largely peaceful, though some clashes with security forces were reported in the early morning hours.

Several demonstrations have been held in recent weeks over a proposed law that would allow Hong Kong to extradite fugitives to mainland China, along with Macau and Taiwan. Opponents claim the law would erode freedoms guaranteed when possession of Hong Kong was transferred from the UK to China in 1997 and may be used to silence dissent of Chinese policies.

Advice

Individuals in Hong Kong are advised to monitor the situation, refrain from discussing political topics in public or on social media, avoid all public gatherings, and anticipate transportation and business disruptions and a heightened security presence.