Siege

Our campus, like many other campuses around Hong Kong, have been taken over by protesters.  

It appeared that on Monday, 11 Nov, protesters threw stuff down to the road leading to the cross-harbour tunnel from the footbridge between our campus and the Hung Hom Station.  The police pursued some of protesters into the campus.  Protesters started to barricade entrances to campus.  Thus started the siege. 

This is now the fifth day of the siege.  All entrances are barricaded.  

People can still generally snake through the barricades at the northern entrance (near Y block) and the southern (main) entrance (near A block).

Some businesses consider “blue” have been damaged.  There are lots of graffiti.  Some classrooms have been broken into - apparently for the furniture to be used as barricades and road blocks.  

The main targets seems to be the road leading to the cross-harbour tunnel, and Chatham Road.  Both are blocked completely most of time.  

Occasionally, some brave souls had been able to move the obstacles aside for a few vehicles to sneak through.  But more obstacles are thrown down from the bridges soon enough so that traffic is stopped again. 

Dr. Sun Yat-Sin’s statue has been given a gas mask. 

Most offices and the majority of the classrooms and laboratories seem intact.  They do not appear to be targets of the protesters.  They seem civil towards the staff and students who brave the siege to come to campus.  Some security guards can be seen.  I have met quite a few colleagues who come back for various reasons.  To retrieve important documents, to run critical experiments, to check on the integrity of the office, to comfort the students, to provide medical help, …

When can we have our campus back?  I understand protesters consider this siege a necessary evil in the fight for freedom and justice.   But education is also necessary for both the short term and the longer term future of everyone.  In the short term, students need their studies continued.  In the longer run, the society is going to need the universities to function when this is over - and this fight is going to be over one way or another, sooner or later.  Damaging and killing the universities is not going to do anyone any good. 

So, please, can we have our campus back?