Washington on Thursday warned US citizens to “exercise increased caution” when traveling to Hong Kong, as protesters prepare for three days of new demonstrations at the city’s airport and marches across the city this weekend.
Since being triggered by opposition to a now-suspended bill that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, the long-running protests have evolved into a wider movement for democratic reform that has seriously disrupted the city with sometimes-violent protests.
Today, the US State Department warned citizens to “exercise increased caution,” an escalation from its previous advice to “exercise normal precautions.”
The warning notes that demonstrations in the city have been mostly peaceful, “but some have turned confrontational or resulted in violent clashes.”
“These demonstrations, which can take place with little or no notice, are likely to continue,” the warning adds.
The US warning comes after countries including Australia, Britain, Ireland, Singapore, and Japan also issued heightened travel warnings for Hong Kong.
On Tuesday, the central government gave its sternest warning yet to the pro-democracy demonstrators following a day and night of running clashes, but the protests are expected to continue, with demonstrators planning three days of rallies at the city’s airport starting Friday afternoon.
On July 26, protesters gathered at the airport for a demonstration, sharing their message with tourists arriving at the busy transport hub. The protest was peaceful and did not interrupt flights, unlike Monday’s general strike, which saw flights cancelled and ground transport brought to a standstill in some places.
Hong Kong’s flag carrier Cathay Pacific has seen bookings drop as the crisis continues, chairman John Slosar warned on Wednesday.
“The protests in Hong Kong reduced inbound passenger traffic in July and are adversely impacting forward bookings,” he said.
