By Lu Yi-hsuan and Wu Po-hsuan / Staff reportersThe Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday warned of a potential humanitarian crisis as clashes intensified between police and protesters at Hong Kong Polytechnic University yesterday, and called on both sides to show restraint to avoid further escalation. A MAC news release said that there might be hundreds of people stranded inside the Polytechnic campus, which poses a serious threat to campus democracy and safety, and could even lead to a humanitarian crisis. The council called on Taiwanese in Hong Kong to be careful of their safety as clashes become more intense and spread to more areas. That includes more than 60 percent of those at the Polytechnic, and 261 from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, it said. University president Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said the chaotic situation in Hong Kong has caused universities there to cut their semesters short.

Source: Taipei Times November 18, 2019 16:00 UTC