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Protesters in Hong Kong Ease Sit-In at Government Headquarters Protesters in Hong Kong Ease Sit-In Near Government Headquarters
(about 7 hours later)
HONG KONG — Pro-democracy demonstrators began easing their blockade of the offices of Hong Kong’s leader on Sunday and wavered over whether to abandon another key encampment as the government set a deadline of Monday morning for the police to restore access to the government’s headquarters. HONG KONG — Pro-democracy demonstrators began easing their blockade of the offices of Hong Kong’s leader on Sunday, as the government set a deadline of Monday morning for the police to restore access to the government’s headquarters.
It was unclear whether either concession had the support of any of the main protest organizations and could be sustained in the face of criticism by protesters who are set against compromise. It was also not clear if the moves would be enough to prevent a confrontation with the police, who received orders to clear away demonstrations outside government buildings by the start of the workweek. It was unclear, a few hours before the start of business in Hong Kong, whether encampments would be abandoned, even as some paths were cleared for government workers to reach their offices.
The sit-in campaign, which entered its tenth day, appeared at a crossroads, plagued by confusion and seesaw reversals among demonstrators exhausted and increasingly divided over how to proceed. Some 1,000 protesters camped out overnight in the street in front of the government headquarters and in a nearby public park, overlooking Hong Kong’s harbor.
Hours after protesters began allowing vehicles to enter and leave the complex where the offices of Hong Kong’s chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, are, student leaders addressing a crowd of supporters said nothing of the decision but declared that they were not retreating. There was some debate within the ranks of the protesters about compromising with the police, who received orders to clear away demonstrations outside government buildings by the start of the workweek. And some protesters seemed defiant.
Alex Chow, secretary general of the Hong Kong Federation of Students, one of the groups at the forefront of the pro-democracy demonstrations, said the “occupy” sit-ins would continue while the federation opened talks with the government. He warned that the talks would be suspended if the government made any attempt to forcefully drive away the protesters. “I will keep coming back till the police kick us out,” said Ken Leung, a 20-year-old college student who was keeping watch over a supply depot for the protesters. “We wanted to say something to the government, but it still won’t listen. But we have learned to manage, how to work together.”
Early Monday, many protesters left to go to school or work, but hundreds remained. And many left saying they would be back.
Lo Cheu-khei, a 16-year-old student, said he had been coming to the protest every day for several days. He was heading straight to class. “I’ll be back after school,” he said. “I think this event should continue.”
The sit-in campaign, which entered its 10th day, appeared at a crossroads Sunday, plagued by confusion and seesaw reversals among demonstrators who were exhausted and increasingly divided over how to proceed.
Hours after protesters began allowing vehicles to enter and leave the complex where the offices of Hong Kong’s chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, are, student leaders addressing a crowd of supporters said nothing of the decision, but declared that they were not retreating.
Alex Chow Yong Kang, secretary general of the Hong Kong Federation of Students, one of the groups at the forefront of the pro-democracy demonstrations, said the “Occupy” sit-ins would continue while the federation opened talks with the government. He warned that the talks would be suspended if the government made any attempt to forcefully drive away the protesters.
“A dialogue is not a compromise,” Mr. Chow said from a stage at the main protest camp. “We will start arranging talks with the government, because we understand that there are people in both the government and here who want to solve society’s problems.”“A dialogue is not a compromise,” Mr. Chow said from a stage at the main protest camp. “We will start arranging talks with the government, because we understand that there are people in both the government and here who want to solve society’s problems.”
“We will not back down,” he added.“We will not back down,” he added.
The Monday morning deadline set up a possible confrontation between the passionate and often disjointed protest movement, and a government that, taking its cue from Beijing, has refused to compromise on the protesters’ broadly shared demands: Mr. Leung’s resignation and democratic elections for his successor. At dawn in the district of Mong Kok, another protest area, there were about 400 protesters still camped out.
The police have been given leeway on how and when to enforce the orders to disperse the demonstrators, said two people with detailed knowledge of the government’s deliberations, both of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions. Dozens of police officers milled about, but there was no sign they planned to force out the remaining students.
Mr. Leung “has laid down the word: Offices have to be accessible by tomorrow morning,” one of the two people said. The Hong Kong police are capable of clearing the streets and would not need help from mainland Chinese security forces, that person said. Lam Ka-shing, 19, slept directly on the road, his backpack for a pillow. “Each day we don’t know if it will be our last here,” he said after he woke up around 5:45. “There are lots of police, and we didn’t know if they would use violence to force us out.”
He added: “I was really scared last night, but now the sun is almost out I feel a lot better.”
Mr. Lam said that despite the government’s demand that protesters clear the road by morning, he had no plans to leave his spot. “There’s no way we would go. They haven’t met our demands,” he said. “If we left now, everything we’ve done would be wasted.”
The Monday morning deadline had set up a possible confrontation between the passionate and often disjointed protest movement, and a government that, taking its cue from Beijing, has refused to compromise on the protesters’ broadly shared demands: Mr. Leung’s resignation and democratic elections for his successor.
The police had been given leeway on how and when to enforce the orders to disperse the demonstrators, said two people with detailed knowledge of the government’s deliberations, both of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions.
Mr. Leung had “laid down the word: Offices have to be accessible by tomorrow morning,” one of the two people said. The Hong Kong police are capable of clearing the streets and would not need help from mainland Chinese security forces, that person said.
“The protesters are also looking for a way to stand down, though some die-hards would remain — minimum force would be used only if needed,” the person said, adding that the precise time for moving in on protesters was being left to the discretion of the police.“The protesters are also looking for a way to stand down, though some die-hards would remain — minimum force would be used only if needed,” the person said, adding that the precise time for moving in on protesters was being left to the discretion of the police.
The police used tear gas a week ago in an effort to disperse protesters, but more crowds arrived in response to what were perceived by many as unnecessarily heavy-handed tactics by the authorities.The police used tear gas a week ago in an effort to disperse protesters, but more crowds arrived in response to what were perceived by many as unnecessarily heavy-handed tactics by the authorities.
Regina Ip, a pro-Beijing lawmaker and the city’s former top security official, said the government was prepared to use such forceful measures again to restore access to government buildings, to ensure local schools can reopen and to clear roads for traffic. But she acknowledged it would not be easy. “This won’t be over in a matter of the next few days; it will drag on for a while,” she said. Regina Ip, a pro-Beijing lawmaker and the city’s former top security official, said the government was prepared to use such forceful measures again to restore access to government buildings, to ensure local schools could reopen and to clear roads for traffic. But she acknowledged it would not be easy. “This won’t be over in a matter of the next few days,” she said. “It will drag on for a while.”
Dennis Kwok, a lawyer and member of the city’s Legislative Council who calls himself a moderate democrat, said people aligned with the establishment had told him that the police would be sent to protest zones overnight, with the aim of clearing them. But he said it was unclear how the police could accomplish that. Some protesters outside the offices on Sunday night had vowed to stay. “I won’t retreat, unless the police crack down with force,” said Kelvin Chung, 22, a recent graduate from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
“If they use tear gas, that will bring people into the streets again,” he said, referring to the aggressive police actions against student protesters on Sept. 28 that attracted wider public support to the movement. “The Hong Kong government played its hand so badly. They left themselves with very few options.” Others were looking for a way out. “This movement can’t last very long — someone has to compromise,” said Carmen Lee, a politics and European studies major at the University of Hong Kong. “Students and workers can’t strike forever. We’ll lose public support over time.”
A government spokesman urged student leaders to clear a footbridge leading to the main government offices and to allow 3,000 staff members to return to work on Monday. He also asked for roads in Admiralty, near the government offices, to be reopened so that schools in the area could resume classes.
The Hong Kong Federation of Students said a path through the sit-ins would be opened for civil servants. But thousands of protesters have been occupying the roads around the offices, and the federation said it was “hard to persuade protesters to leave when there hasn’t been any progress on their demands over political reform.”
Some protesters outside the offices on Sunday night vowed to stay. “I won’t retreat, unless the police crack down with force,” said Kelvin Chung, 22, a recent graduate from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Others were looking for a way out. “This movement can’t last very long; someone has to compromise,” said Carmen Lee, a politics and European studies major at the University of Hong Kong. “Students and workers can’t strike forever. We’ll lose public support over time.”
The mood among protesters in Admiralty was grim. “I feel lost,” said one student, Billy Ngai, 20. “At the beginning, when I came out, it was for universal suffrage, but tonight we are out because we feel support for the movement is waning. If no one comes out, we will lose.”
“I am scared for myself and all the participants,” he added, “but more important, I am scared that fewer people will come out in the future if they clear the streets tonight.”
A friend, Don Tsang, also 20, said that, “Everyone is telling us to leave, but faced with the current political powers in office in Hong Kong and in Beijing, we cannot back down. We can only maintain or escalate.”
The discussions were especially poignant in Mong Kok, the densely populated neighborhood where a protest encampment was attacked on Friday by men who punched and kicked demonstrators. A hostile crowd of residents, upset by the inconvenience caused by the sit-in, cheered. The assaults outraged students, many of whom accused the government of looking the other way or even hiring the men.
After calls by a host of prominent citizens for them to leave, including a former chief justice, university leaders and church figures, some protesters in Mong Kok decided on Sunday to move to the main protest area across the harbor in Admiralty. But later in the evening, the crowd swelled with young protesters who sat listening to speakers urging them to stay. ​
“Mong Kok is the most important place in our campaign,” said one of the protesters, Luke Ng, an 18-year-old student. “If Mong Kok can stay together, then we will win.”
Real decision-making power on the side of the authorities rests in Beijing with China’s president, Xi Jinping. Since assuming leadership of the Communist Party in late 2012, Mr. Xi has repeatedly demanded vigilance against threats to party control and national sovereignty, especially from Western powers. To the party leadership, the youthful democratic movement in Hong Kong, a former British colony that has preserved its own legal system and liberties, embodies those perceived threats.Real decision-making power on the side of the authorities rests in Beijing with China’s president, Xi Jinping. Since assuming leadership of the Communist Party in late 2012, Mr. Xi has repeatedly demanded vigilance against threats to party control and national sovereignty, especially from Western powers. To the party leadership, the youthful democratic movement in Hong Kong, a former British colony that has preserved its own legal system and liberties, embodies those perceived threats.
Mr. Xi and other Chinese leaders have not spoken publicly about the eruption of unrest in Hong Kong, but mainland news outlets have stepped up reports and commentaries describing the movement as a “color revolution,” a scheme orchestrated by outsiders to challenge party rule across all of China, using Hong Kong as a bridgehead.Mr. Xi and other Chinese leaders have not spoken publicly about the eruption of unrest in Hong Kong, but mainland news outlets have stepped up reports and commentaries describing the movement as a “color revolution,” a scheme orchestrated by outsiders to challenge party rule across all of China, using Hong Kong as a bridgehead.
The protesters have responded that their movement is a peaceful, grass-roots campaign, with aims limited to Hong Kong.The protesters have responded that their movement is a peaceful, grass-roots campaign, with aims limited to Hong Kong.
“Now we are students, but in 10 or 20 years, we will be adults and will be responsible for this society. We need to stand up now and speak,” said Matthew Yu, 15, who was at the main protest encampment. “Young students have been told to run if police begin clearing the area, to protect their safety,” he added, “but some will probably stay.”“Now we are students, but in 10 or 20 years, we will be adults and will be responsible for this society. We need to stand up now and speak,” said Matthew Yu, 15, who was at the main protest encampment. “Young students have been told to run if police begin clearing the area, to protect their safety,” he added, “but some will probably stay.”