Hong Kong Protests: Indonesia Consulate Seta up Hotline for Citizens

Beijing, China (Antara) -- The Indonesian Consulate General in Hong Kong has set up a hotline to coordinate with Indonesians living in the country, following the pro-democracy rallies it has been witnessing. "The hotline is meant to help Indonesians who may be having problems due to the rallies," Information Chief of the Indonesian Consulate General for Hong Kong, Sam Aryadi, told Antara here on Wednesday. Indonesians in Hong Kong can reach consulate officers on +852 365 10200. The consulate will continue to monitor developments in the situation, Aryadi said. It has urged the Indonesian nationals to play it safe and avoid the areas where demonstrators have been gathering. The consulate further noted that there are as many as 170 thousand Indonesian citizens in Hong Kong. A source revealed to Antara on condition of anonymity: "The peaceful rallies have seen participation from thousands of youth, including high school and college students. There have been clashes between the demonstrators and the police, but no anarchical actions." The source added said the youth helped coordinate logistics and also cleaned up any scattered garbage after the protests. "The coordinators of the rallies also provided humanitarian assistance to the needy people," the source affirmed. The pro-democracy rallies have been on since last weekend, and protesters gathered even on China's National Day Holiday today (October 1). Citizens are protesting against the decision made by the standing committee of the National People's Congress on August 31, which denies them their right to elect their local leaders directly. The next elections in Hong Kong are due in 2017. The rallies have been interfering with public activities. Some 157 schools declared a holiday on Tuesday (September 30), and 37 banks stopped their services, leading to some automatic teller machines going out of operation. The demonstrations have also disrupted the flow of traffic in the city due to which some ambulances and fire trucks could not reach their destinations. Assistant Commissioner for Hong Kong Police Cheung Tak-keung stated that they have been tolerant so far in dealing with these protests have asked the demonstrators to call them off. "They have refused to stop, however, and we were forced to use tear gas," he said.(*)