A Hong Kong official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the political sensitivity of the subject, said the government was concerned about access to buildings, especially Police Headquarters, and wanted to warn the students not to defy police officers but could not do so easily because of limited communications. Continue reading the main story What Prompted the Hong Kong Protests? Hong Kong belongs to China and operates under a policy of “one country, two systems.” Hong Kong, a British colony until 1997, when China resumed sovereignty, is governed by a mini-constitution, the Basic Law. The city maintains an independent judiciary, and residents enjoy greater civil liberties than residents of mainland China. Hong Kong has a robust tradition of free speech. Democratic groups say Beijing has chipped away at those freedoms, citing an election law proposed last month that would limit voting reforms. China had promised free elections for Hong Kongs chief executive in 2017. But the government rejected a call for open nominations, instead proposing that candidates would continue to be chosen by a committee dominated by Beijing. The current city leader, Leung Chun-ying, has clashed with the pro-democracy opposition. After the crackdown on protesters Sunday, some called for his resignation. Prospects for reaching a compromise in the government’s talks with the students appeared limited. Mrs. Lam met in the evening with four pro-democracy lawmakers, and no progress was reported. Faced with a government strategy to wait them out, the protesters, who have taken over key areas of Hong Kong for days, appeared unsure whether they should escalate their confrontation or begin searching for an exit strategy. Continue reading the main story “We don’t have a leader,” said Irene Ng, an English major at Hong Kong Baptist University. “This is trying to be a democracy, but then you try to reach a decision and you can’t. Nobody can decide. The ultimate problem is it might split us apart.” The protesters interviewed gave no indication that a retreat was imminent. But many wondered how long they could sustain the turnout necessary to block crucial roads in the city and just what would constitute an acceptable victory. Tim Lam, an engineer who said he had joined the sit-ins every day since Sunday, said he expected the occupation to last another week at most. “That’s about how long the protesters’ passion can last,” he said. “After one, two weeks of occupation, protesters would start to think about how it affects the economy, the everyday lives of people.” Further escalation by the protesters could alienate members of the public resentful of a demonstration that affects their daily lives. But without more aggressive steps, the protests could fade. “If we take rash actions, we may lose people’s sympathy,” said Niko Cheng, a recent college graduate and protester in Mong Kok, a densely populated area of Hong Kong on the Kowloon Peninsula. “But if this drags on — it’s already turning into a carnival, with people dancing, singing and all that — people may forget what they’re here for.” Prominent voices in the pro-democracy campaign have indicated that there is no consensus on what, short of an unlikely reversal of the central government’s position, would lead to an end of the protests. “We have to achieve something that will enable the crowd to claim victory,” said Albert Ho, a lawmaker. “They must retreat with dignity, but that may not necessarily be complete victory. There must be a sense of achievement.” The Chinese Communist Party appeared to rule out any compromise on the protesters’ key demands, publishing a front-page commentary in its official newspaper, People’s Daily, that endorsed Mr. Leung and accused pro-democracy groups of threatening to drag Hong Kong into “chaos.” In a sign of its authority, the piece cited the senior leadership, including President Xi Jinping. But many in Hong Kong shrugged off the commentary and said they would continue pressing for genuine elections. “All the protesters here and Hong Kong people know it is extremely unlikely the Chinese leaders will respond to our demands,” said Joseph Cheng Yu-shek, a political-science professor at the City University of Hong Kong and a longtime advocate of fuller democracy in the city. “We are here to say we are not going to give up, we will continue to fight on. We are here because as long as we fight on, at least we haven’t lost.”
Posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2014 22:23:25 +0000
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