13 Aug 2019

Hundreds of flights cancelled in Hong Kong due to protests

From First Up, 5:08 am on 13 August 2019

We cross to Hong Kong, where bloody street battles have seen dozens injured in the tenth straight week of anti-government demonstrations. Thousands of pro-democracy protesters occupying Hong Kong International Airport have begun to leave, as the police prepare to clear them from the terminal. More than 160 outgoing flights were cancelled overnight at the world's eighth-busiest airport, because of the disruption. The action was the fourth day of a sit-in, which had intensified yesterday as protesters demanded an inquiry into what they see as excessive police violence at the weekend. The protests began in early June over a controversial bill that would have allowed for people to be extradited to China - the legislation has now been shelved, but there's continuing widespread anger against the local government. Our reporter Craig Hoyle is in Hong Kong.