A welcoming trend for Hong Kong and its travel and tourism industry is that it has been calm and peaceful since Friday, November 22, as most Hong Kong citizens were looking forward to the District Council Election held on Sunday, November 24.
Hong Kong Police confirmed that since June, they have fired over 10,000 tear gas canisters, 4,800 rubber bullets, and 19 live rounds. More than 5,800 people have been arrested during protests from June 9 to November 21, of which 923 have been charged. Insiders fear batches of protesters had been arrested by the secret police and sent to mainland China in the process.
The reality is today, the atmosphere has since cooled down after the Pro-Democratic Camp saw an overwhelming victory in the election.
So far this week, there have been no announcements for planned demonstrations, and the police have softened their stance on PolyU arrests following the election.
Just last week, hundreds of protestors were holed up at Polytechnic University for days after violent clashes broke out with the police on November 16.
The red-brick campus in Kowloon was taken over by demonstrators as they tried to block the neighboring cross-harbor tunnel as part of a wider plan to paralyze traffic across Hong Kong.
After intense fighting in which police used teargas and rubber bullets and protesters threw Molotov cocktails and shot arrows at police, officers locked down the campus, announcing that anyone coming out would be immediately arrested for taking part in a riot.
After dozens of protestors were caught, they sought more desperate measures, including crawling through sewage and stormwater drains, abseiling down ropes, jumping from bridges, and escaping on to train tracks.
Today, the Hunghom Cross Harbour Tunnel reopened this morning, allowing traffic flow to return to normal. Public transportation networks are running as per usual with the exception of several railway and subway stations that remain closed for maintenance.
The MTR will be running until 11:00 pm on weekdays and 10:00 pm on weekends.
The Airport Express link is operating as per its regular schedule and there have been no reports of any disruptions to Hong Kong Airport operations.
Most drivers and guides in the city have been briefed on alternative routing options for tours and transfers should any disruptions occur.
For more information on HK Tourism go to www.discoverhongkong.com/
Currently, HongKong Tourism posted the following important information for visitors:
