Protests Absent, But Key Areas Remain Paralysed

Despite the absence of any protests against the controversial extradition bill, key areas near the government headquarters remained paralysed on Thursday morning.

The main roads in Admiralty reopened early Thursday morning, but the area remained partially shut down, with MTR trains skipping the station and shops and offices still closed.

Protesters against the government’s extradition bill occupied parts of Harcourt Road, Queensway and Lung Wo Road on Wednesday, paralysing the area.

But the last of the crowd faded away in the early hours of Thursday morning after police used tear gas, rubber bullets and non-lethal guns to disperse the protesters.

Only a handful of demonstrators returned to the area outside Legco on Thursday morning, but the government announced that its headquarters in Tamar will remain closed for the day and on Friday.

With the MTR announcing that trains would not stop at the Admiralty station, commuters had to walk from either Wan Chai or Central to get to work.

The nearby Pacific Place shopping mall, where many protesters took refuge after police began advancing on them on Wednesday, put up notices on its entrances saying it will remain closed on Thursday as well.

A number of bus routes continued to be diverted and are skipping stops in Admiralty.