'Too scared to buy ice cream for my son': Hong Kong protests leave some residents looking for an exit

SINGAPORE: It was a regular weekend for Hong Kong resident Maggie Man, a 39-year-old roadshow project coordinator.

“Most importantly because my son was in the car with me. I was very afraid that they might suddenly become crazy and take over the lane we were in. I thought to myself: ‘If that happened, what would I do? Should we get off the car and run, or wait for the whole thing to be over before I returned home?’ I was very worried at that time,” she said.

“It kicked off right as my colleagues and I were leaving work so we were exposed to tear gas. It was chaos with people running, screaming through Pacific Place shopping mall and ambulances arriving to tend to those injured,” she added. The protests, which erupted over opposition to a Bill allowing extradition to mainland China, have morphed into a broader movement, with escalating violence from both the demonstrators and the police.

The estate she lives in has been the site of multiple violent clashes in recent weeks, with radical protesters besieging police stations and starting fires outside the quarters and authorities fighting back with tear gas.Protesters light fires near Causeway Bay station in Hong Kong. Andrew Lo, CEO of immigration agency Anlex Consultants, said migration enquiries have jumped 400 per cent since the massive protests began in June, with many people citing concern over the future of their children as a reason to relocate.Anti-extradition Bill protesters react from tear gas as riot police try to disperse them during a protest at Sham Shui Po in Hong Kong on Aug 11, 2019.

John Hu, founder and principal consultant of John Hu Migration Consulting, said his team has also seen double the number of enquiries, while sales have improved by 40 to 50 per cent.Hong Kong police baton-charged small groups of masked, largely young protesters who were walking along roads and refused to disperse.

READ: Chinese official urged Hong Kong villagers to drive off protesters before violence at train station “It really breaks my heart to see the state that Hong Kong is in. I definitely don’t agree with any of the violence or harmful activities that have been taking place. But I understand where it stems from, the people just want their demands to be heard,” said Ms Soh.

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