Hong-kong, Special administrative regions of China

The students, most of them wearing black T-shirts over their uniforms, were expected to head to the city centre for a rally in Edinburgh Place against the now-shelved extradition bill, which would have allowed the transfer of fugitives to jurisdictions with which Hong Kong lacks an extradition deal, including mainland China, the South China Morning Post reported.The school boycott, co-organised by localist party Demosisto, was part of a broader anti-government campaign triggered by the bill.Organisers have estimated as many as 10,000 secondary students from close to 200 schools would boycott classes, with half of them expected to show up at the rally.On Chai Wan Road, to the east of the island, pupils and alumni from three nearby secondary schools formed a human chain on the 650-metre slope leading up to the Eastern Highway.At St Francis' Canossian College, the alma mater of Chief Executive Carrie Lam, six students donning yellow helmets, goggles and masks knelt in front of the entrance and held placards bearing anti-government messages.The students said they hoped Lam would listen to their voices and agree to the protesters' five demands which include total withdrawal of the bill and the term "revolt" in referring to the demonstrations, amnesty for those arrested, an independent investigation into police brutality in dispersing protests, and the introduction of universal suffrage.Meanwhile, Education minister Kevin Yeung Yun-hung has stressed that the authorities opposed to any class boycott and would closely monitor the situation, reports the South China Morning Post.He also said the authorities would call head teachers to see if there were any anomalies and would leave it to the schools to decide if punishment was needed.The students' boycott coincides with a similar action planned by university students from 10 tertiary institutions.The tertiary students were being called on to converge on Chinese University on Monday afternoon to stage a mass sit-in.But the university has urged its student union to cancel the rally "to safeguard the safety" of staff and attendees, according to the institution.It said hosting a rally on campus posed a high risk after the weekend's violence.Hong Kong has seen 13 consecutive weeks of mass protests sparked by the bill.Though the proposed law has been declared "dead" by Lam, the anti-extradition bill campaign has morphed into a broader movement seeking to reverse a general decline in freedoms and investigate alleged police brutality and violations of law.( With inputs from IANS )

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Hong-kong, Latest News

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has said she will withdraw the controversial extradition bill which triggered months of protests. ...

Amid months of protest in the city, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Wednesday will announce the formal withdrawal of an extradition bill that would have allowed extraditions of criminal suspects for further prosecution in China. ...

Calling the issue Beijing's internal matter, new Chinese Ambassador to India, Sun Weidong, on Tuesday said that his country would not let any external forces to interfere in the Hong Kong affairs. ...

The Chinese government on Tuesday accused Hong Kong protesters of trying to overthrow the special administrative regions government to take control of the city and turn it into a "independent entity" and "work against" Beijing. ...

Hong Kong's embattled leader, Carrie Lam, on Tuesday said she had not tendered resignation to Beijing, nor even "contemplated to discuss a resignation" with her mainland superiors. ...

The Hong Kong police said they arrested 159 people between Friday and Sunday, marking the highest number of those detained over a weekend since the anti-government protest movement began in June. ...

In the backdrop of the ongoing anti-government protests across the city, thousands of students in Hong Kong started their school year on Monday by boycotting classes and protesting against the pro-China government. ...

Thousands of defiant school students across Hong Kong skipped classes on Monday, using the first day of the new academic year to add their voices to anti-government protests which has fuelled months of unrest in the city. ...