Government orders closure of Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre over fears anti-extradition protesters will disrupt handover ceremony
- Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre to be closed on Sunday for ‘safety and security reasons’
- Police prepare for protests at ceremony marking the handover of Hong Kong to China
The Hong Kong government will close down the city’s main convention centre on Sunday because of “safety and security reasons” – as concerns intensify that protesters might disrupt a flag-raising ceremony near the Wan Chai facility on Monday.
The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre said on its website on Saturday that the government decided to shut down the complex a day before the 22nd anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong to China.
The closure has forced an event at the exhibition centre – the Premium Pet Supplies Expo – to be cut short a day earlier than scheduled.
The protesters planned to rehearse and sing the national anthem on Sunday night, before staging a protest at 6.30am on Monday to block the official gala.
By Saturday, police had started to close off the roads surrounding the exhibition centre from vehicle access and would keep them closed until after the flag-raising ceremony.
