Airline Staff Demand Strikes Over Extradition Laws

Airline staff on Tuesday issued posted a petition on the internet calling on their unions to announce strikes on Wednesday to enable workers to protest against the government's extradition plans.

The online statement, believed to have been initiated by staff from Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon, had already been signed by hundreds of people.

It said the government has paid no attention to Sunday's march which brought more than a million people onto the streets to oppose the planned legal changes.

"This strong opinion fell on deaf ears as the Hong Kong government insists on brutally continuing with the second reading [of the extradition bill] in the Legislative Council on June 12," the petition said.

As well as urging airline unions to call strikes, the petition also demands the government immediately withdraw its "evil amendments".

Other groups, from social workers to bus drivers, have already announced plans for protests or industrial action on Wednesday to oppose the government's move to allow extraditions to the mainland for the first time.

Protesters are hoping to gather outside the Legislative Council as lawmakers debate the law changes.