HONG KONG (AP) One of the worlds busiest airports canceled all flights after thousands of Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters crowded into the main terminal this afternoon.
Hong Kong International Airport said in a statement that the demonstration seriously disrupted airport operations.
Hong Kong has experienced more than two months of mass protests calling for democratic reforms and an independent inquiry into police conduct, with both the protesters and police adopting ever-more extreme tactics.
In Beijing, the Cabinets Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office issued a statement saying the situation in Hong Kong was beginning to show the sprouts of terrorism and constituted an existential threat to the population of Hong Kong.
One must take resolute action toward this violent criminality, showing no leniency or mercy, said the statement, attributed to spokesman Yang Guang. Hong Kong has reached an inflection point where all those who are concerned about Hong Kongs future must say no, to law breakers and no to those engaged in violence.
Only flights that had already begun boarding or those cleared for landing were allowed to use runways at the airport.
All other flights have been canceled for the rest of today, the airport statement said.
A massive traffic jam soon formed on the highway leading back to Hong Kongs city center. Some protesters were seen walking toward the airport amid the stifling heat.
Earlier Monday, Hong Kong police showed off water cannons that could be deployed in the case of future demonstrations, a development which Amnesty International has warned could lead to serious injuries if misused within the densely-populated citys confined spaces.
Legislators and journalists were invited to witness the display of extreme crowd control tactics, which came after a weekend of protests at the airport and on the streets of one of the citys main shopping districts.
During the weekend protests, website Hong Kong Free Press showed footage of one arrest that appeared to include officers in plain clothes pinning a demonstrator pressed to the ground. The young man, who said his name was Chow Ka-lok and asked for a lawyer, was shown with a bleeding head wound and said he had a broken tooth.
Police have also reported injuries among their ranks, including eye irritation from laser pointers, burns from petrol bombs and bruises and cuts from flying .
Protesters hurled bricks at officers and ignored warnings to leave before tear gas was deployed in the Sham Shui Po area, police said, calling a march there an unauthorized assembly.
Tear gas was also deployed in central Hong Kong on both sides of Victoria Harbour, in the Tsim Sha Tsui area on the Kowloon side and in Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island. At one point, protesters blocked the entrance to a plaza to prevent police from entering.
A train station in Kwai Fong filled with smoke after about a dozen police officers fired tear gas inside. It was not clear how many protesters were inside the station at the time, but it has been rare for officers to fire tear gas indoors.
Earlier, a large group of mostly young protesters marched down the middle of Hennessey Road, a main shopping drag in the Causeway Bay area, as a rally was held in nearby Victoria Park. Many wore face masks to shield their identities, and a few had helmets. Others just carried backpacks over the black T-shirts that have become their uniform.
