Because of the laser lights .. Chinese army threatens Hong Kong protesters

HONG KONG (Reuters) - The Chinese army garrison in Hong Kong warned protesters Sunday against arrest for targeting laser-cut barracks in the city, while tens of thousands of people demonstrated in downtown masks in defiance of authorities.

A Reuters witness said the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) had raised a yellow flag with the capitalization warning in its first direct interaction with protesters.

Several hundred protesters put laser lights on the walls of the military barracks, while soldiers dressed in military uniforms on the rooftop pointed flashlights at protesters and used binoculars and cameras to watch them.

Tens of thousands of protesters demonstrated in central Hong Kong wearing masks in defiance of emergency powers imposed by the city and impose a year in prison for covering the face.

Protesters chanted "Revolution, Hong Kong compatriots" and "Fight for freedom, support Hong Kong." A witness said police fired tear gas towards one of the marches.

Hours after the city's chief executive, Kari Lam, decided to activate emergency powers that have not been used for more than 50 years, masked protesters demonstrated in the streets last Friday, setting fire to metro stations, damaging branches of Chinese banks and clashing with police.

Hong Kong's four-month-old protests have pushed the Chinese-ruled city into its worst political crisis in decades, posing the strongest challenge to President Xi Jinping since taking office six years ago.

Rail operator MTR said it was unable to open some metro stations on Sunday after being shut down in an unprecedented manner due to Friday's violence. It said it would take some time to repair damaged facilities, and trains would shorten their operating hours by more than three hours today, with work to end at 9 pm.

The protests began with the rejection of a bill to hand over suspects to China for trial, and turned into a pro-democracy movement in the face of what the protesters see as a tightening of Beijing's grip on the city, undermining the "one country, two systems" formula since Britain handed over Hong Kong to China in 1997.