Silver linings amid fear, anguish

TRAVELERS' MOVEMENTS IMPEDED

Mike Lee, the founder and chief executive of a Hong Kong-based internet financing startup, said he cannot forget the day in August that radical protesters paralyzed the city's international airport services.

"There were several occasions when I failed to get on board and missed a flight because of protesters who sat in the airport hallway, blocking our access," said Lee, who granted an interview on the condition that his real name and that of his wife would not be used.

As a result, Lee had no choice but to take another flight from neighboring Shenzhen, Guangdong province, the following day.

Lee's wife, April Ng, said her husband missed several flights to the Republic of Korea because he had trouble reaching the security check section of the airport. Some of Lee's clients refused to fly to Hong Kong for business meetings.

Lee said the continuing chaos "directly translates into negativity in terms of market confidence as well as planning for the resources" for his 1-year-old company. Still, Lee has to take care of the rent and operation costs to run his company, in addition to addressing the concerns of his co-founders and employees.

The young couple have lived in the Asian financial hub with their 4-year-old son and Philippine maid for five years.

The painful memories of violence and rioting in the city are still fresh in the minds of the family members, who have called for greater efforts from the local community to put an end to the nightmare.