| The first mistake is letting them fly in. Wonder who's paying the airfare? |
Hopes are scarcely more optimistic for the action inside the vast convention centre, used for the 1997 handover, where 6,000 delegates will gather tomorrow to thrash out the global trade disputes that have gridlocked the latest WTO round. Few expect anything more than incremental progress; at worst, some fear a repeat of the deadlock that undermined the last summit at Cancún in 2003.
The first demonstration of the week passed off peacefully yesterday, a colourful, if noisy, march by more than 2,000 people. But, to the concern of free-speech campaigners, immigration officials are said to have a blacklist of known activists, who will be denied entry into the territory.
| Nah, let them enter .. into bullpens filled with HK coppes holding #7 truncheons ... |
| If the rice farms are failing, where's the money for the airfares? |
In the past three years, hundreds of thousands of local people have taken to the streets to campaign for democracy, but the demonstrations have all passed peacefully. Hong Kong also has more reason than most to be thankful for global trade, which has transformed it into one of the most prosperous cities in the world. Police say the risk will come later and from outside: from European and US anarchist groups and Asian farmers' organisations.
Some local businesses are taking no chances. Two nearby banks and several outlets of international retailers plan to close during the summit. At an Audi showroom close to the venue, sales executive Kenneth Chui said: "We are worried about the safety of our staff. We will board up our windows for at least the opening day. Then, we'll see what the situation is like."