Hong Kong airport cancels all remaining flights for 2nd day

Airport authority warning people to stay away from airport as protesters clog departures area

Flight check-in services have been suspended at Hong Kong's international airport, the airport authority said Tuesday, citing disruptions caused by anti-government protests. All departing flights are cancelled for the remainder of the day.

cite (v) to mention something as a reason or an example, or in order to support what you are saying E.g: He cited his heavy workload as the reason for his breakdown.

The authority said it did not expect arriving flights to be affected, though dozens of arriving flights were already cancelled. 

Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong's flag carrier, warned customers to "postpone non-essential travel from Hong Kong" for both Tuesday and Wednesday and have asked people to stay away from the airport. 

Protesters clogged the departure area after the airport was temporarily reopened Tuesday morning, forcing a second shutdown. 

After filling up two separate arrivals halls, demonstrators have streamed into the departure area despite increased security measures designed to keep them out. Passengers struggled to get past the sitting protesters and into the immigration section.

demonstrator (n) người đi biểu tình

Some flights were able to take off earlier Tuesday, relieving some of the pressure from the cancellations of more than 200 flights on Monday. The central government in Beijing ominously characterized the protest movement as something approaching "terrorism" that posed an "existential threat" to the local citizenry.

ominous (adj) gở, báo điềm xấu; xấu, đáng ngại 
E.g:  an ominous silence: sự yên lặng đáng ngại

citizenry (n) toán thể công dân - the citizens of a place regarded collectively.
E.g:    "the legal obligations of the citizenry"

A member of airport staff tries to stop anti-government protesters during a demonstration at Hong Kong's international airport. (Issei Kato/Reuters)

At least one Air Canada flight, which was scheduled to fly from Hong Kong to Vancouver, was affected by the Monday closure.

"Customers are being rebooked on a replacement flight, AC2008, departing [Tuesday]," the airline told CBC News in a statement Monday.

AC2008 is now in flight after a delay, according to Air Canada's website.

Paramilitary police assembling across border

 Paramilitary (adj) nửa quân sự - helping the official army of a country
 E.g: paramilitary police, such as the CRS in France

Meanwhile, paramilitary police were assembling across the border in the city of Shenzhen for exercises in what some saw as a threat to increase force brought against the mostly young protesters who have turned out in their thousands over the past 10 weeks.

assemble (v)  tập hợp, tụ tập, nhóm họp

While China has yet to threaten sending in the army — as it did against pro-democracy protesters in Beijing in 1989 — the exercises in Shenzhen were a further demonstration of its ability to crush the demonstrations, even at the cost to Hong Kong's reputation as a safe haven for business and international exchange.

pro- (in adjectives) in favour of; supporting pro-democracy
exercise (n) exercise of something the use of power, a skill, a quality or a right to make something happe.
E.g: the exercise of power by the government the exercise of discretion

The Chinese city of Shenzen is located across the border from Hong Kong. Paramilitary police were assembling in Shenzhen for exercises in what some saw as a threat to increase force brought against the pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. (CBC News)

Online images showed armoured personnel carriers belonging to the People's Armed Police driving in convoy Monday toward the location of the exercises just across the border from Hong Kong.

armoured (adj) bọc sắt,      E.g: armoured car: xe bọc sắt
convoy (n) sự hộ tống, sự hộ vệ /  đoàn hộ tống, đoàn hộ vệ; đoàn được hộ tống

The People's Liberation Army also stations a garrison in Hong Kong, which recently released a video showing its units combating actors dressed as protesters.

station (v) đặt vào vị trí, để vào vị trí; đóng (quân) ở một vị trí
garrison (n) (quân sự) đơn vị đồn trú - a group of soldiers living in a town or fort to defend it; the buildings these soldiers live in.         E.g: a garrison of 5 000 troops

The demonstrators have shown no sign of letting up on their campaign to force Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam's administration to respond to their demands, including that she step down and entirely scrap legislation that could have seen criminal suspects sent to mainland China to face torture and unfair or politically-charged trials.

let up (v) ​to become less strong (E.g: The pain finally let up.) OR ​to make less effort (E.g: We mustn't let up now.)
scrap (v) scrap something to cancel or get rid of something that is no longer practical or useful
E.g: They had been forced to scrap plans for a new school building.

While Beijing tends to define terrorism broadly, extending it especially to nonviolent movements opposing government policies in minority regions such as Tibet and Xinjiang, the government's usage of the term in relation to Hong Kong raised the prospect of the application of heightened violence and the possible suspension of legal rights for those detained.

detain (v) ngăn cản, cản trở - to detain somebody in during something: ngăn cản ai làm việc gì

'Path of no return'

Lam said the ongoing instability, chaos and violence have placed Hong Kong on a "path of no return."

chaos (n) sự hỗn độn, sự hỗn loạn, sự lộn xộn

Demonstrators have in recent days focused on their demand for an independent inquiry into what they call the police's abuse of power and negligence. That followed reports and circulating video footage of violent arrests and injuries sustained by protesters.

footage (n) cảnh (phim).           E.g: a jungle footage: một cảnh rừng rú
sustain (v)     chống cự, chịu đựng / chống đỡ
        E.g: to sustain the shock of the enemy's tanks:         chịu đựng sức tấn công của xe tăng địch
        E.g: will not sustain comparison with:         không thể so sánh với

Some protesters have thrown bricks, eggs and flaming objects at police stations, and police said they arrested another 149 demonstrators over the weekend, bringing the total to more than 700 since early June. Police say several officers have suffered burns, bruises and eye damage inflicted by protesters.

inflict (v)  bắt phải chịu - to make somebody/something suffer something unpleasant
E.g:  inflict something on/upon somebody/something: They inflicted a humiliating defeat on the home team.

Lam told reporters Tuesday that dialogue would only begin when the violence stopped. She reiterated her support for the police and said they have had to make on-the-spot decisions under difficult circumstances, using "the lowest level of force."

reiterate (v) to repeat something that you have already said, especially to emphasize it
E.g: reiterate an argument/a demand/an offer

"After the violence has been stopped, and the chaotic situation that we are seeing could subside," Lam said, "I as the chief executive will be responsible to rebuild Hong Kong's economy … to help Hong Kong to move on."

subside (v)     ngớt, giảm, bớt, lắng đi
      E.g:   storm subsides:   cơn bão ngớt          E.g:    tumult subsides:   sự ồn ào lắng dần

She did not elaborate on what steps her government will take toward reconciliation. After two months, the protests have become increasingly divisive and prompted clashes across Hong Kong.

reconcilitation (n) sự hoà giải, sự giảng hoà 
divisive (adj) gây chia rẽ, làm ly gián, gây bất hoà 
clash (v)  va chạm, đụng chạm; mâu thuẫn.       E.g:  interests clash: quyền lợi va chạm

The protests had until Monday been mostly confined to specific neighbourhoods, police stations and government offices. However, the airport protest had a direct impact on business travel and tourism. Analysts said it could make foreign investors think twice about setting up shop in Hong Kong, which has long prided itself as being Asia's leading business city with convenient air links for executives travelling across the region.

confined (n)  trong tình trạng bị giam cầm, bị câu thúc
E.g: It is cruel to keep animals in confined spaces.

Hong Kong was promised democratic rights not enjoyed in Communist Party-ruled mainland China when Beijing took over what had been a British colony in 1997, but some have accused Beijing of steadily eroding their freedoms. Those doubts are fuelling the protests, which build on a previous opposition movement that shut down much of the city for seven weeks in 2014 that eventually fizzled out and whose leaders have been imprisoned.

fizzle out (v)  thất bại sau khi rầm rầm rộ rộ ban đầu, xì hơi
imprison (v) bỏ tù, giam cầm - put somebody in a prison or another place from which they cannot escape
E.g: They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 


Link CBC News