CHINA (HONG KONG). Airport Authority Hong Kong has obtained a court order to prevent sit-in protests at Hong Kong International, except in designated areas.
The interim injunction aims to eliminate any impact on airport operations following two days of protests which brought Hong Kong International to a standstill, as flights resumed today (14 August). The injunction prevents “persons from unlawfully and wilfully obstructing or interfering with the proper use of Hong Kong International Airport”.
The court order, which can be viewed here, also restricts “persons from attending or participating in any demonstration or protest or public order event in the airport” other than in the area designated by the airport authority.
“The interim injunction expressly provides that nothing in the interim injunction shall be construed as authorising any demonstration, protest or public order event contrary to the Public Order Ordinance,” the authority stated.
“Any person who neglects to abide by or neglects to follow the interim injunction order, or any person assists another in disobeying the interim injunction order may be held in contempt of court, and is liable to imprisonment or a fine. Enforcement proceedings may be taken to compel person to comply with the interim injunction order.”
In a further attempt to “maintain smooth operations of the terminal and normal flight movement operations, as well as to ensure the safety of passengers and airport staff”, the authority has implemented access control at the airport’s terminal buildings. Only departure passengers with a valid air ticket or boarding pass for a flight in the next 24 hours and a valid travel document, or airport staff with relevant identification document, will be allowed to enter the terminal buildings until further notice.
In a statement reflecting on the serious disruption and “chaotic situations” at the airport over the past two days, the authority noted that “participants of the public assembly blocked all the passageways to the airport restricted area, and passengers were unable to proceed to go through the immigration procedures. There were also many disputes between participants of the public assembly and passengers in the terminal buildings.”
The authority said it had “exercised tolerance” during the protests, noting that an application had been made in advance for the protest on 26 July, while this week’s protests have been conducted without application. “The Airport Authority had hoped that the assemblies would not obstruct airport operations and affect passengers. [We regret] that participants of the public assemblies have caused serious disruption to airport operations for two consecutive days, affecting a large number of passengers. Public safety, public order and behaviour of the public are stringently regulated by the Airport Authority Bylaw.
“On Wednesday (14 August) the AA will continue to implement flight rescheduling, with flight movements expected to be affected. Passengers are reminded to pay attention to the latest flight information from the airlines, confirm their flights and allow sufficient time for heading to the airport.”
As reported, Airports Council International Asia-Pacific earlier condemned the disruption at the airport which it said had “deprived passengers of the right to travel”.
The Hang Seng Index dropped by a total of 543.42 points (-2.1%) yesterday (13 August) to reach a seven-month low of 25,281.30 while ForwardKeys noted the severe impact that the ongoing protests in Hong Kong are having on bookings made from Asian countries to the special administrative region. Its research was conducted before this week’s airports protests and the analyst noted it was “not optimistic about reporting a recovery in the immediate future”.
The unrest in Hong Kong stems from protests that began more than two months ago relating to concerns over a proposed extradition bill, which would have allowed suspected criminals to be sent to Mainland China for trial; the bill has since been suspended, but not abandoned.
As reported, the protests have affected the usually vibrant luxury downtown shopping scene in the special administrative region, with the Hong Kong Retail Management Association warning of a major fall in sales and a wave of strikes bringing the city to a standstill.
The Shilla Duty Free, CDF-Lagardère and Gebr Heinemann respectively operate the beauty, liquor & tobacco and confectionery concessions at Hong Kong International.
