Wednesday, 15 October 2014

Early this morning in Hongkong, protesters attempted to reclaim some lost roads.  The police had other plans and decided to take down a few protesters.  Unfortunately, they did not realize on of the is a member of the opposition party.  (Mind you -- Ken Tsang is not a Legislature Council members, but he is a party member, nonetheless.)  He received ample media coverage after the excessive display of force by the police.  The surge at the central protest site was noticable.  The overnight protesters have signaled their support into two ways: (1) tents are now widely seen at the main sight -- hundreds, and (2) a large one-night protest was held at the Hongkong Island police headquarters about five meters away from the government center -- conveniently located!

At the center of the protest site, a man speaks to a crowd.

A new signed appeared tonight, warning Taiwan of future action by the Mainland Chinese government.  The Chinese writing reads: "Today Hongkong, Tomorrow Taiwan".  For those unfamiliar with the modern history of Taiwan, it is essentially viewed as a breakaway state from Mainland China by most international organizations -- United Nations in particular.  The irony lies in the fact that the United States has a law that guarantees the defence of Taiwan in the event of military action by Mainland China.  Additionally, more than 150 countries around the world unofficially recognize Taiwan as a de facto independent state by accepting passports of its citizens.  Many (including the United States and European Union member states) have separate treaties to deal with trade issues.  If you control your military, borders, and passports, what else defines you as an independent nation?

A sequence of hand-drawn paintings appeared this evening.  They are magical.  Enjoy.

Students, sitting, listening to a speaker.

A tent city begins...

Tatami mats included!

A construction cone marks the exit from the protest center.

Earlier in the day, police arrived on site to tear down barrier erected by students.  Following the carnage, organizers quickly rebuilt.

Someone used the divots from reflectors in the expressway to hold some plants.

Here is a short video clip panning the new tent city.

Here is the scene at the Hongkong Island police headquarters protesting the beating of a protesters one day before.