HK protesters march, withdraw money from Bank of China

(MENAFN- Asia Times) Hong Kong protesters on Saturday continued through different means to oppose the controversial extradition legislation, despite Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor's Tuesday description of the bill as "dead."

Queues were seen at certain branches of the bank of China (Hong Kong) in the morning after netizens called for a money-withdrawal campaign to stress-test the cash storage situation of the Chinese bank.

Since last week, netizens have been promoting the campaign as a way to urge the Hong Kong government to 'withdraw,' not only suspend, the extradition bill. They also called for the retraction of 'riot' characterization of the June 12 protest, the release of the arrested anti-extradition protesters, the establishment of an independent commission to investigate the police brutality and Lam's resignation.

Over the past week, anonline posterhad been circulated, saying that Hong Kong citizens should avoid depositing money in the Bank of China as the bank is facing the risks of cash shortage due to non-performing loan problems in China. The poster said the warning was issued by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA).

On Thursday, HKMA said in astatementthat such online claims are 'untrue and totally unfounded.' It said the warning was falsely attributed to the HKMA. It urged the public to be discerning when dealing with online information.

On Friday,netizenssaid on discussion groups that the Bank of China had taken the abnormal precaution of ordering all staff to work on Saturday.

An unnamed Bank of Chinastaff member told the Hong Kong Economic Journal that the bank's staffers were verbally told by their supervisors to work on Saturday. Citing bank staff members, Ming Pao reported that the Bank of China increased manpower on Saturday for the launch of 'silver bonds,' which target elderly customers. The report said some staff were relocated to the branches in Sheung Shui in New Territories, where protests would be staged in the afternoon.

Bank of China's spokespersons did not respond to media enquiries.

Read:HK protesters moot Bank of China 'stress test' after latest clashes

Read: HSBC cashes in on growing anti-BoC sentiment

According toRadio Television Hong Kong , some customers were seen queuing up in the Tai Po branch of the Chinese bank in the morning but not in many other branches such as in Sham Shui Po and Sheung Shui. Other media reports said some police took pictures at some of the bank's branches.

As the day's activities revealed, multitasking Hongkongers have begun to use the protests to agitate on other issues they have with the mainland, whether closely related to extradition or not.

North District Parallel Imports Concern Group, established in 2012 to monitor how Hong Kong's North District was affected by the incoming Chinese tourists and individual traders, was to hold a march titled 'Recover Sheung Shui' in the North District Sports Ground in New Territories from 3:30pm on Saturday. It expected about 2,000 people would join the march.

Apart from the main theme of opposing the extradition bill, the group also calls for the government to curb parallel trading activities, which it said seriously affect the livelihood of local residents in Sheung Shui and Tai Po.

Parallel imports to Hong Kong from the mainland are not pirated or counterfeited goods; they have been manufactured by – or under the authority of – whoever owns the intellectual property rights. Rather, the dispute focuses on the grievances of Hong Kong business persons who object to competition by parallel importers.

"There is no universal consensus on the legal issue relating to parallel importation, and whether it should be restricted is a controversial issue with endless debates," saysHG.org , a specialist legal publication.

In another case of protesters' mixed motives, on July 6 local groups called for a 'Recover Tuen Man' march to oppose the extradition law – as well as "indecent" singers in Tuen Mun Park. These singers, who came from mainland China, with some of them being new immigrants, were seen dancing in short shirts in the entertainment area of the park in order to get money tips from elderly local men.

Accused of making too much noise, the women were reportedly backed by some profit-making organizers. Local pressure groups had been complaining about the situation for more than decade but failed to make any change.

Despite some clashes in the crowd, the latest 'Recover Tuen Man' protest was called successful as the District Council on Tuesday passed a motion to stop providing an entertainment area in the park.

Read:Residents rally against HK's 'Singing Aunties'

The anti-extradition law protests have extended to different districts in Hong Kong as protesters set up 'Lennon Walls' in public areas to express their opinions. However, some volunteers who helped monitor the walls were attacked by local residents in some districts, including Yau Tong and Tai Po.

Starry Lee Wai-king, chairperson of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, which is a pro-Beijing political group, said posting memo papers on public walls is illegal but people with different views should stay calm.

Read:Retired HK cops held for allegedly assaulting protesters

Read:More clashes break out at 'Lennon Walls' in HK

On the afternoon of July 7, anti-extradition protesters marched from Tsim Sha Tsui to the Hong Kong West Kowloon Station – the terminus for high-speed trains to Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Organizers said more than 230,000 people took part in the protest, while police said up to 56,000 attended in Kowloon.

The march was aimed to tell the mainland shoppers in Tsim She Tsui about the anti-extradition campaign. After the march ended in the evening, protesters walked to Mongkok, occupied key roads and held a late-night standoff with the police in the district.

Police dispersed the protesters with batons and shields with some people suffering head injuries and bleeding. The police were slammed for using excessive force at protestors and journalists.

Read: Bloody clashes after latest rally in Hong Kong

Read: Citizens planning protests in HK's 18 districts

On Friday evening, hundreds of students gathered at Sun Yat-sen Place on the campus of the University of Hong Kong to oppose the extradition bill. They said they were disappointed by the statement previously issued by Zhang Xiang, Vice Chancellor and President of the University of Hong Kong, who condemned protesters for storming the Legislative Council on July 1.

They then went to Zhang's apartment. Zhang came out and talked to them for 40 minutes. Zhang reiterated his anti-violence stance but promised that he would not allow police to arrest students in the campus without court orders.

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