Indonesians in Hong Kong advised to stay away from mass rally

HONG KONG - JAKARTA. The Indonesian Consulate in Hong Kong has warned Indonesian citizens against traveling to areas surrounding key government buildings in central Hong Kong where tens of thousands of people are protesting against the government’s controversial proposal to overhaul its extradition law.

On its official Facebook page, the consulate office urged Indonesian citizens in the city to avoid the Admiralty and Central areas, which are expected to be the center of a mass rally on Wednesday.

“Indonesian citizens are advised not to go outside unless absolutely necessary and remain calm and not participate in activities that could cause possible harm, and also avoid posting provocative comments on social media that could have legal ramifications,” the announcement reads.

The consulate also advises Indonesians to follow all orders and directives from Hong Kong authorities and not violate any regulations.

As of Wednesday, tens of thousands of protesters had paralyzed central Hong Kong by blocking major roads in protest against the government's controversial plan to allow extraditions to China, AFP reported.

With crowds continuing to swell, Hong Kong’s Legislative Council officials said they would delay the second reading of the bill "to a later date".

Hong Kong's leaders argued that it needed to plug loopholes and to stop the city being a sanctuary for fugitives, and that safeguards were in place to ensure that political critics of Beijing would not be targeted. However, many Hong Kongers have little faith in the government's assurances after years of heightened fears that a resurgent Beijing is trying to quash the city's unique freedoms and culture.

Hong Kong hosts one of the largest populations of Indonesian people with approximately 180,000 Indonesians living in the city, making it the third-largest employer of Indonesian workers in the Asia-Pacific, after Malaysia and Taiwan.