In June this year, we interviewed a protester from Hong Kong after she’d been caught in the most violent protest of that time, when tear gas and rubber bullets had been unleashed on civilians by the police. Since then, the violence in Hong Kong has escalated, with the police using live ammunition and water cannons on protesters, and the protesters in turn barricading streets, disabling public transportation and setting buildings on fire. We checked in on her to see how she’s doing.
“My mum is very scared.”Q: Hi Wing* (*not her real name), nice to see you’re okay. How’s the protest situation in Hong Kong been since the last time we spoke?
A: Protesters have been getting more violent recently because the police have been using real bullets to shoot protesters. Molotov cocktails and fire are now used in weekly protests. People even tried to assassinate the police. On the day Carrie Lam [Chief Executive of Hong Kong] announced the emergency law, there were massive destructions including burning of MTR [Mass Transit Railway] stations, burning the trains, burning the railway in New Territories, burning the Bank of China…
People protest every weekend now. Sometimes, people also protest on weekdays if there are special situations like suspicious dead bodies being found.
The last time we spoke, you said you were satisfied with the suspension of the extradition bill and would not be participating in any more protests—did that change in the weeks after?
Um, I no longer go to protest, but when the government implemented the anti-mask law, I thought it unreasonable. Schools even asked kids not to wear facial masks when sick. I think the government just wanted to make people more angry. They did it on purpose.
Public transportation has been disrupted by both protesters and riot police, traffic blocked by both barricades and fire, so how do people in Hong Kong get around these days? How have you been getting around?
People like to use the bus nowadays, and avoid taking the MTR. Because in August, police closed off one MTR station suddenly and asked the press to leave, then beat random passengers including disabled old people in wheelchairs.
But I still take both the MTR and bus, and sometimes drive. I enjoy hanging out. Indeed, streets are empty with no noisy tourists. I still go out during weekends but will go home before night. The police are more violent at night. Sometimes they just catch young people randomly. They also throw tear gas randomly. I am most scared of the tear gas because it has been everywhere in Hong Kong now. It is toxic to the human body and we cannot avoid it.
Shops have been closed for protests and because of related vandalism, and many shop owners have reported a decline in business. Has there been any consensus as to how businesses are going to be able to stay afloat if this situation continues for a long time?
Only the pro-China chain shops have been destructed. Those affected shops mostly make money from Chinese tourists. Over-tourism led to high rents. They better think of other businesses to do. I hope there will be business transformation for Hong Kong in the future.
How has daily life for the average person been affected by the protests? How often do people still go out for fun these days?
My mum is very scared, and she always asks me not to go to crowded places. She seldom goes out but I think she has over-reacted. Young people and people of my age still go out for fun. We just avoid going to places like the Legislative Council building and government buildings.
Has there been any concern that food and supplies will run out or become inflated in price if the protests persist? Have people been stock-piling at home in case of emergencies? Have you?
No way. Unless food is not allowed to be imported into Hong Kong.
The stock-piling thing only happened once. It was the day Carrie Lam implemented the anti-mask law under emergency conditions. People lined up in the supermarket because they thought the supermarket wouldn’t open the next day. They were right. Supermarkets really didn’t open the next day but restaurants remained open. So I just went to have lunch in a restaurant because I didn’t prepare for that.
What about public services like law enforcement and the fire brigade? Are they still up and running like normal? If you called the police because of, say, a burglary or murder situation during a major protest, would the police be available, and willing, to assist you?
Public services are still running but if there is a burglary, I wouldn’t call the police because I don’t think it will help.
If somebody beat me up during a protest, I surely wouldn’t call the police for help. The police catch protesters, regardless of whether they have been beaten by triad members or have beaten people. Once, one taxi driver hit protesters, causing several injuries. The police only caught the protesters hit by the taxi and prosecuted them, while the taxi driver was rewarded.
How safe is Hong Kong for tourists right now? Would you recommend tourists come to Hong Kong anyway since flight and hotel prices are at a low?
Unless you have frontline war experience, I don’t think you should come. We local people understand where is safe and where is not because we read updates from local channels quite often. Tourists love to go to Central, Admiralty, Tsim Sha Tsui—places which, I think, are extremely dangerous.
Shops and the MTR have also been closing very early ever since the emergency law was enacted. Most shopping malls and shops close before 9pm on weekdays. For weekends, if there is a protest, shops are all closed in the area.
What in Hong Kong has not been affected by the protests?
People still need to go to work.
Lastly, is there anything you would like the world to know about the situation in Hong Kong, while you still can, in case the proposed ban on the internet as suggested by a member of Hong Kong’s executive council does come into effect?
Hong Kong people just ask for justice, like not allowing policemen to beat and kill people randomly. People cannot be extradited to China. I don’t understand why the government doesn’t listen and even asks the police to beat people more. What I see now is: the more the government suppresses, the more violent the protesters are.
Wing is presently working on cooking and running because those things make her feel relaxed. (“Reading the news every day makes Hong Kong people tense.”) She hopes to see ‘One Country, Two Systems’—the arrangement that grants Hong Kong autonomy from China until 2047—continue. To send her words of encouragement or share your thoughts on the present situation in Hong Kong, you may use the comment box below.
Other Answers by Wing*:
Why I Joined The 2019 Hong Kong Protests and What I Experienced When There
Photographs courtesy and copyright of Wing*. Interviewer: Sy
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Wow interesting content
Thanks, Frantzlife! 🙂