Hong Kong's MTR network was shut down entirely last night after multiple stations and lines were vandalised and set fire to by angry protesters reacting against the invocation of a half-century-old emergency power banning the use of face masks in public assemblies.
A 14-year-old was shot in the thigh in Yuen Long in a confrontation with police, who fired multiple rounds of tear gas throughout the night to dispel the crowds.
The angry protests that have rocked Hong Kong for months rose to fever pitch yesterday as thousands - wearing masks in a show of defiance - went on a rampage across the city, barricading roads east and west of Central and targeting Chinese businesses.
Fires were set as the glass fronts of the branches of the Bank of China, China Construction Bank and China Travel Services were smashed, while other businesses, including a Starbucks outlet, were also vandalised.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who has come under intense pressure to quell the escalating unrest, said the new measure, aimed at masked violent protesters and rioters, would take effect today. Similar anti-mask regulations are in force in other countries such as Australia, Canada, France and Germany.
Mrs Lam turned to the Emergency Regulations Ordinance - last used during the 1967 riots - to implement the latest measure, which will be tabled in the Legislative Council for discussion on Oct 16.
Mrs Lam is due to present her policy address that day, and the government has also promised to withdraw the controversial extradition Bill after her speech.
She stressed yesterday that the latest measure did not mean Hong Kong was in or entering a state of emergency. "But we are indeed in an occasion of serious danger, which is a state of condition in Emergency Regulations Ordinance for the Chief Executive in council to exercise certain powers, and I will say that we are now in a rather extensive and serious public danger."
The Civil Human Rights Front, organiser of some of the biggest protests, has condemned the mask ban, saying that the government has intensified its efforts to suppress the people.
Hong Kong University legal scholar Eric Cheung told The Straits Times that the move set a dangerous precedent, as it meant the government could change laws without legislative process.
Former student leader Lester Shum and retired civil servant Kwok Cheuk Kin filed judicial challenges against the mask ban at the High Court, but the judge last night declined to grant any temporary suspension.
All 40 pro-government lawmakers threw their weight behind the new measure, saying it would help the police make arrests more easily and deter violent protesters. But the pan-democrats slammed the decision, saying it turned Hong Kong into a "police state", and officers could abuse their powers easily.
China threw its support behind the ban, calling it a necessary move. "The current chaos in Hong Kong cannot continue indefinitely," said Mr Yang Guang, spokesman for the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office. "An important moment has come for stopping the violence with a clearer attitude and more effective measures."
The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions in a statement described the anti-mask law as a needed step in quelling the unrest.
The Singapore Consulate-General in Hong Kong yesterday put out a travel advisory on Facebook asking Singaporeans to defer non-essential travel to Hong Kong in view of the large-scale protests. It advised those already in the city to take all necessary precautions to ensure their own safety.
