This archive report was first published on 1 December 2019.
Published on December 1, 2019, a democracy protest at Hong Kong's PolyU university campus turned into a tense standoff between protesters and police.
Michael, a protester who wished to remain anonymous, was among the final few dozen protesters who barricaded themselves inside the campus.
Clashes broke out on November 17, with protesters wielding petrol bombs and bows and arrows in their battles with police.
Conditions inside the school quickly deteriorated, with vending machines looted for food and a foul odour wafting from canteens and kitchens.
Michael took up residence in a meeting room, surviving in the increasingly difficult circumstances on campus.
"I have had many chances and opportunities to leave, but I choose to stay," he told AFP in the final days of the siege.
"We have done nothing wrong," he added.
Michael described hours spent hunting for food or cleaning products, and the stress of living in fear of a police charge into the university.
By the final days of the siege, only a handful of protesters remained secreted in different parts of the campus.
Michael reemerged after police said they would be removing their cordons, sending a brief text message: "I'm okay and safe,"
