SINGAPORE – Amid reports of upcoming protests at two locations in Hong Kong, Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) is advising Singaporeans to avoid the areas.

The advisory pertains to Hong Kong International Airport, where a protest is due to start at 1pm on Friday (July 26) and Yuen Long in the New Territories on Sunday.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs would advise Singaporeans to avoid these locations at these times,” said the advisory, posted on the MFA’s Facebook page.

“In recent weeks, several large-scale protests have taken place at multiple venues in Hong Kong. Although mostly peaceful and orderly, cases of localised clashes following these protests were reported. Protests which are meant to be peaceful may still have the potential to turn violent with little or no notice,” the advisory said.

On Sunday, following a mass protest on Hong Kong island, scores of men dressed in white and armed with sticks and batons at the rural Yuen Long metro station attacked people who were returning from the protest, leaving 45 injured. Twelve people have since been arrested in connection with the incident.

The Yuen Long attack came on the back of seven consecutive weekends of protests in Hong Kong against a contentious extradition Bill that has been suspended indefinitely.

Several countries, including Japan, South Korea and Canada, have issued travel advisories for the city, while Ireland has issued a travel warning following last weekend’s violence.

MFA said people already in Hong Kong should take all necessary precautions to ensure their personal safety, 

“You are advised to stay vigilant, monitor developments through the local news, and heed the instructions of the local authorities… You should avoid protests and large public gatherings, and stay in touch with your family and friends so that they know you are safe,” it said.

It said the latest updates could be obtained from the Hong Kong Police Force on their social media accounts (https://www.facebook.com/hongkongpoliceforce and https://twitter.com/hkpoliceforce).

Singaporeans in Hong Kong are encouraged to eRegister with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at https://eregister.mfa.gov.sg/ to enable the MFA to contact them should the need arise.

Those who require consular assistance can contact the Singapore Consulate-General in Hong Kong, or the MFA Duty Office (24hrs) at:

Singapore Consulate-General in Hong Kong
Tel: +852-2527-2212 or +852-9466-1251 (after office hours)
Fax: +852-2861-3595
Email: [email protected]

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Duty Office (24 hours)
Tanglin, Singapore 248163
Telephone: +65 6379 8800 / 8855
Email: [email protected]

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