CUHK Remains On Edge As Protesters Keep Guard

Protesters at Chinese University (CUHK) have remained on a bridge near the campus where fierce clashes with police took place on Tuesday.

They continued to dump objects onto the Tolo Highway, the nearby Science Park Road, as well as the MTR East Rail tracks, cutting off traffic between the north of the New Territories and Kowloon.

They also set up and strengthened the barricades on the bridge with a burnt-out husk of a car, bamboo sticks and wooden boards, in an apparent attempt to prevent police from coming at them again.

An RTHK reporter at the scene said a large number of petrol bombs had been stockpiled. With a strong smell of some kind of chemical in the air, protesters warned people not to smoke.

Some people said they came to defend the bridge after a court refused to grant an injunction order to stop police from entering the university campus.

A protester, who said he is a law student, told RTHK he was not surprised by the court's decision.

"I clearly understand that the court is passive. Very often it would pass the ball back to the administration," he said.

"I'm worried the police would attack the university again. I want to help defend it," another protester said.

The No 2 bridge, situated above the Tolo Highway, links the institution in Sha Tin to the Science Park. Police said officers were stationed there on Tuesday to prevent anyone from disrupting traffic on the highway, but students accused the police of intruding into their campus.

Some protesters also vandalised facilities at the nearby University MTR Station and blocked its exits.

Protesters also tried to block a road next to the Tolo Highway and set fire to some barricades, but firefighters arrived and put out the blaze.