Expulsion

We were woken at 7am with Ben wanting to speak with us.  (It would have been 3pm in Hong Kong).  International students from  other universities were being told to evacuate the campus immediately - some being told to go home and some being put up in hotels.  There was no such directive from Leeds University, and Ben with the 3 other Leeds Uni students had nowhere to go, but it was becoming clear that a confrontation with police was imminently going to be taking place on the CUHK campus.  See today's news report.

Fuzzy from sleep I momentarily found myself discussing the price of hotels before realising that this was an actual EMERGENCY and that it didn't matter what price the hotels were - Ben just had to take the chance to get out whilst he could.

By about 7.30am my colleague Andrew's brother, who lives in Hong Kong with his family was contacted and had offered Ben a place to stay and within the hour he was on the way out.  There was a lot of walking since barricades had been built on all the access routes but Ben was impressed by the organisation and kindness of the student protesters at the checkpoints.  Polite and helpful they organised the international students a lift to a point where they could get an Uber to the place they were staying.  On the way they passed chains of people (Ben reckons possibly even 2 miles long) moving supplies into the CUHK campus.  My waterlogged journey to work (pictured) is rather lame in comparison. 

He's ended up in an apartment, with two other Leeds uni students, in central Hong Kong owned by a family friend of one of them and apparently it's 'phat' (excellent).  We spoke to him late afternoon (so 11.00pm his time) and he's exhausted, but he's safe and comfortable and has got a couple of days to decide what to do now.

I think getting out of Hong Kong is priority - but they may try and fit in some travelling if they have the energy and appetite after everything that's happened.  I'd obviously be more than happy for him to come home!  

Extras are what Ben's photos are of today.  Rather more dramatic than my drive to work!