Hong Kong crippled as flash mobs incite new chaos

Hong Kong, once widely known for its bustling and orderly streets, was crippled by new chaos as anti-government protesters used a new tactic and launched waves of guerilla-style attacks using flash mobs in different locations over the weekend.

After police earlier beefed up actions against the radicals,, the black-clad protesters seemed to adopt another tactic to avoid head-on collisions with police. They would soon leave after erecting barricades on the roads to block traffic and vandalize public properties, including metal railings, drain covers and pavements. On Saturday alone, they mounted attacks on at least seven locations all the way south from Tai Po to Hung Hom.

The protesters swiftly moved from place to place, staying about half an hour at every stop. They usually provoked police with insulting language and laser pointers, but quickly retreated once riot police formed cordons.

After having a taste of victory on Saturday, the radicals continued the tactic on Sunday by constantly stirring up trouble in at least five sites on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon West.

Many people in Hong Kong have grown impatient with the sustained disruptions since mid-June, as their jobs and daily lives are affected.

Leung, who manages Yuen Kee Restaurant on Hennessy Road in Causeway Bay, said business was down by at least 30 percent since mid-June. The restaurant had to close when the protesters started showing up in the district, Leung said.

Trapped in a restaurant in Causeway Bay for nearly two hours during a standoff between police and radicals, a man surnamed Wai said this kind of chaos had seriously affected people's lives.

When the radicals blocked the Hung Hom Cross-Harbor Tunnel on Saturday, the fifth time in a week, a staffer blasted the protesters for having severely impeded her work and urged them to leave the city if they really felt so dissatisfied.

"If you (the protesters) are so dissatisfied (with Hong Kong), then you should emigrate to whichever country you like. Why do you still stay here (to vandalize the city)?" the woman said.

Affected by the protesters' unlawful rally in Tai Po on Saturday, many shops closed for a whole day, with bus services also suspended for hours.

A local resident surnamed Chan said he was quite angry about the inconveniences caused. Questioning the goals of such disturbing actions, Chan warned that that there will be only a "lose-lose situation" if the mayhem continues.

Compared with previous protests, this weekend's movements appeared to be more unscripted, or even aimless. Protesters frequently stopped ongoing actions to discuss the next step. Many of them seemed to have no idea of what they were going to do but blindly followed whoever led the way. This made it very difficult for the news media to report the events.

Employees of a street food shop near Causeway Bay declined to comment on the protest while they pulled down the store's shutters when radicals swarmed into the neighborhood. They told China Daily that they didn't want to give interviews because they were afraid of vindictive radicals.

During the operation on Saturday, HKSAR police arrested 16 people for unlawful assembly, possession of offensive weapons, assaulting a police officer and obstructing a police officer in the execution of duties.

To date, a total of nine police officers suffered eye injuries as hundreds of protesters intentionally aimed laser pointers at them. Among them, three were hurt on Saturday.