Lisa - "It was my first time facing danger - a danger that was so close."
A protestor describes a scary incident she experienced with a knife-wielding thug and the police.
“We realised we couldn’t rely on anyone - not the police - because they’d arrest us, and definitely not the white shirts who would chase us down.”
I had planned to go the 'Airport protest' on 1 Sep with my brother, but I didn’t expect any of the crazy things that were going to happen that day.
From the start there was an issue with our transport. We took a bus, but when we arrived at the Lantau Toll Link Plaza, the driver stopped and said, "We won’t be going to the airport." So, we got off near the highway. There were around 200 to 300 people, all of whom wanted to go to the airport, but were stuck. Everyone was wondering what to do since none of the buses were going to the airport.
Then someone suggested that we could walk to Sunny Bay MTR station and catch the train to Tung Chung. We walked for 30 minutes - all 200 to 300 of us. It felt good walking together. It was like hiking - everyone was just chatting. It was so peaceful.
When we got to Tung Chung, the atmosphere was totally different. There were people damaging the MTR machines. There was so much tension in the air. I didn’t expect the vandalism in Tung Chung. The 'Airport protest' was supposed to be peaceful, but I don’t blame the protestors because I know they did it for a reason. What the police had done the night before - on the night of 31 Aug in Prince Edward Station - was unacceptable.
We wanted to leave because we could sense danger - there were a lot of police officers nearby - but Tung Chung Station was shut down shortly after we arrived. We tried to wait for a bus, but there wasn’t any transport available. No bus, no taxi, nothing. I felt lost. I didn’t know what to do.
Then we heard a warning that the police were coming. We ran - I didn’t know why I had to run because I hadn’t done anything illegal.
We reached another bus stop. There were around 20 of us. Someone suggested that we walk to Mui Wo to get out of Lantau Island. But all of a sudden, we heard someone shouting, “There’s a guy in white and he’s holding a knife! He says he wants to kill us!”
We all ran again.
We ran to the nearest residential area. Someone let us in, held the doors open; we went up in the elevator and got out to hide. We knew we had to leave the ground floor. If the man in white caught us, maybe we would have died.
My brother and I stayed for over half an hour in one part of the building with four other girls. All we did the whole time was to search for a way out of Tung Chung. By then it was already 8pm, it was so scary. My legs were shaking. It was my first time facing danger - a danger that was so close.
I’m not scared of the police because I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong. But those guys in white, they don’t care who you are, they’ll just hurt you.
It was hopeless hiding like that. We realised we couldn’t rely on anyone - not the police - because they’d arrest us, and definitely not the white shirts who would chase us down.
We felt stuck, like nobody could help us.
After half an hour, we decided there was nothing else to do but to leave. My brother and I went back to the same bus stop we had just run away from. It was only both of us. There were no buses, no taxis, and we couldn’t take any trains.
Then a man in a car drove up. He asked if we wanted a ride. I didn’t trust him because I didn’t know him, and more notably, his Cantonese wasn’t native - you could tell his mother tongue is Mandarin. But we didn’t really have a choice. There were still a few girls stuck in the building we had left, so I called a couple of them to join us.
During the ride, the girls told us they were only 14 years old. How young! Many years younger than me. They are so brave. They came from so far away - all the way from Fanling and Sheung Shui to the airport - to show their support for the cause.
Meanwhile, our driver reassured us he wouldn’t ask us for our names or any of our personal details. He said this was the second time he had come to pick people up to 'evacuate'. His family kept calling him, asking if he was okay or not. He would say he was, and that he would be home in time for dinner.
But we ended up getting stuck on the Tsing Ma Bridge for three to four hours. There were so many 'evacuator' drivers like him; there were also protestors just walking home over the bridge.
The man driving us turned out to be so nice. He was supposed to drop us off at the nearest open MTR station. But he took us all the way home, and refused the money I tried to give him.
In the end, my brother and I got home at midnight.
I felt sick and dizzy the day after - I had to take leave from work on Monday. But even after the events of 1 Sep, I discovered many good things about Hong Kong. Hongkongers are so loving. Even in the face of danger, strangers help each other out. There were so many times that day that I felt such a strong sense of unity.
Now, I enjoy going out to protest every weekend. You'd ask why?
It is because we’re all gathered here for our shared beliefs - we’re all in this together.
We’re all fighting for the same cause.
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Journalist: Ka Yan
Graphic: Tendarken