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Order Returns to Hong Kong Airport, Protesters Apologize

Suzanne Sataline

   HONG KONG - Operations at the Hong Kong Airport returned to normal
   Wednesday after a judge granted an interim order to limit
   anti-government protests that crippled one of the world's busiest air
   hubs for two days and sparked frantic clashes between demonstrators and
   riot police.

   The order will limit demonstrations to designated areas, an attempt to
   suppress two days of seething crowds whose sheer size led the
   government and airlines to send home most employees and cancel nearly
   all flights leaving and entering the Chinese territory. That decision
   turned the airport into a frustrated campground, with stranded
   travelers unsure when they'd be able to leave, unable to buy food or
   find beds.

   The judge's order was made public after protesters on Tuesday night
   used luggage carts to barricade the airport's passageways. Riot police
   unleashed pepper spray and batons to clear a path as protesters brawled
   with officers who tried to beat back the crowds.

   Police arrested five people on charges that included unlawful assembly,
   possession of offensive weapons, assaulting police officers and
   breaching of the peace. Two police officers were injured.

   On Wednesday, the few protesters remaining at the airport apologized to
   travelers and the general public. "It is not our intention to cause
   delays to your travels and we do not want to cause inconvenience to
   you,'' said an emailed statement from a group of protesters. "We ask
   for your understanding and forgiveness as young people in Hong Kong
   continue to fight for freedom and democracy."

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