Residents walk along Tung Choi Street in Mong Kok, Hong Kong on Aug 3, 2019. The popular Ladies Market on the street was closed ahead of a planned rally in nearby area. (PHOTO / CHINA DAILY)
HONG KONG – Many shops and restaurants in Mong Kok, one of the busiest commercial and tourism districts, practically shut down on Saturday for fear of another outbreak of violence in the rally against the now-shelved extradition bill.
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Hours before the rally is scheduled to start at 2:30 pm, the usually crowded side streets in the area were almost empty of pedestrians. Most of the shops and restaurants along Tung Choi Street in the center of the shopping and entertainment district have pulled down the shutter.
Shops on Tung Choi Street, Hong Kong are closed ahead of a planned march by protesters, Aug 3, 2019. (PHOTO / CHINA DAILY)
Some unwary tourists going there to stock up on fashions, cosmetics and electronics goods were puzzled by the eerie quietness.
The planned rally would start from the Anchor Street Playground and end at Cherry Street Park. The march is expected to last until 9:00 pm.
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In the past several weeks, various protests that started off peacefully had deteriorated into violent clashes with the police. Last Sunday, a gathering in a park spilled over illegally into the streets ending in a violent confrontation that turned part of the western district into a war zone.
Shops on Tung Choi Street, Hong Kong are closed ahead of a planned march by protesters, Aug 3, 2019. (PHOTO / CHINA DAILY)
A notice on the metal shutter of a shop on Tung Choi Street in Mong Kok, Hong Kong, indicates the shop's closure due a planned march by protesters, Aug 3, 2019. (PHOTO / CHINA DAILY)
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