Red-shirted luggage lady in midst of Hong Kong protest is a S'porean trying to get home

Chaos.

Kayla Wong | Tanya Ong | Nyi Nyi Thet | August 15, 2019, 05:37 PM

In the midst of a boatload of iconic imagery and moments during the Hong Kong protest, here was one image that caught the eye of many a media outlet.

Photo by Vernon Yuen/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The image of a lady in red, hoisting her red luggage above her head, fighting past throngs of Hong Kong protestors sitting in the airport.

Turns out she was a Singaporean trying to get home.

In a video posted to Twitter, the woman is seen wading through a sea of black shirts.

She also at some point lifts the bag over head, creating the set-up for that iconic shot.

(Photo by Philip FONG / AFP/Getty Images)

Photo by PHILIP FONG/AFP/Getty Images

A Facebook post in Mandarin by a colleague of hers explained the situation she found herself in, as well as what went through her head.

To summarise and translate, the unnamed woman had arrived in the airport at 2pm, and was taken aback by the whole situation in front of her. To her, she had two choices, either stay here or try to get on the plane.

A choice, the colleague claimed, which was exacerbated by her family asking her if she was safe.

According to the colleague, while the lady was emotional about the whole situation, one possible reason she appeared particularly agitated was the situation in Hong Kong itself.

"I understand that her tears weren't just for herself, but also for all the times she came to HK. Where was the city that was gentle, full of charm, polite and respectful?"

He did clarify that the lady held no resentment towards the city, though.

It was quite a terrifying time, nonetheless, and according to the colleague, she didn't dare speak Chinese the entire time she was around the protesters.

Her colleague's post did, however, state that the lady was angry with them.

"What are these young people studying anyway? Don't tell me this is how they plan to fight for democracy?"

In a further post, the colleague walked back his statements, and reasserted that it was his own interpretation of her feelings.

She is currently back in Singapore.

Photo by PHILIP FONG/AFP/Getty Images