Hong Kong schools to remain shut till Sunday

The Hong Kong Education Bureau announced on Thursday that classes at schools across Hong Kong shall remain suspended from Friday to Sunday on account of transportation disruptions caused by rioters, urging the students to stay away from violence.

Rioters paralyzed parts of Hong Kong for a fourth straight day on Thursday, forcing school closures and blocking highways and other transport links in the financial hub. Moreover, thousands of students barricaded themselves inside several universities on Thursday after preparing stockpiles of food, bricks, petrol bombs and other makeshift weapons as they hunkered down for possible clashes with police.

In a statement released on Thursday morning, police said rioters fired arrows at several officers near the Polytechnic University at 6:45 a.m.. No officers were injured and six arrows were recovered at the scene, it said.

Earlier on Wednesday, police told reporters at a regular press conference that violence in the city had reached a "very dangerous and even deadly level," and urged protesters to cease all illegal and violent behaviors.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong media said three top secretaries, including Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po and Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah, from Chief Executive Carrie Lam's cabinet held a meeting with the city's leader at around 10 p.m. on Wednesday night to discuss the recent protests.

Cheung confirmed the meeting during a Legislative Council session on Thursday morning but declined to comment on whether the government would impose curfew in the city.

Cheung told lawmakers that it was just a regular meeting, which was held late at night because officials were busy earlier in the day.

On Thursday night, the government of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region issued a statement, dismissing rumors concerning the implementation of curfew in Hong Kong over the weekend.

"The rumors are totally unfounded," read the statement.

The city will hold district council elections on November 24.

On the same day, a HKSAR government spokesman told the media that "the ongoing riots over the past few months, with their massive scale, simultaneous occurrence in various districts and grave severity of violence, make it necessary to strengthen the support for the Police's frontline officers."

"After consideration, the government takes the view that making use of the appointment mechanism under section 40 of the Public Order Ordinance to arrange appropriate officers of other disciplined services to share part of and participate in the police's work would help strengthen the manpower and strength of the police."

(With input from Reuters)

(Cover image via VCG)

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