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| Hong Kong democracy protests: numbers dwindle as exhaustion sets in | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Ending the Hong Kong democracy protests is up to the government, a student leader said on Monday, as demonstrations dwindled and exhaustion began to set in. | Ending the Hong Kong democracy protests is up to the government, a student leader said on Monday, as demonstrations dwindled and exhaustion began to set in. |
| Schools reopened and government employees returned to work - one or two wearing yellow ribbons, a symbol of support for the movement - as the number of demonstrators dropped to the hundreds. At its peak, the movement saw more than 100,000 people take to the streets of the city. | Schools reopened and government employees returned to work - one or two wearing yellow ribbons, a symbol of support for the movement - as the number of demonstrators dropped to the hundreds. At its peak, the movement saw more than 100,000 people take to the streets of the city. |
| The remaining protesters had defied a Monday morning deadline to withdraw. They slept on the tarmac at the main occupation zone at Admiralty, around government offices, but allowed workers to enter the buildings. A much smaller number remained at Mong Kok in Kowloon. | The remaining protesters had defied a Monday morning deadline to withdraw. They slept on the tarmac at the main occupation zone at Admiralty, around government offices, but allowed workers to enter the buildings. A much smaller number remained at Mong Kok in Kowloon. |
| The demonstrators were braced overnight for police attempts to remove them after chief executive Leung Chun-ying said “all necessary actions” would be taken to restore social order by Monday morning. Many in Hong Kong were on holiday for much of last week. | The demonstrators were braced overnight for police attempts to remove them after chief executive Leung Chun-ying said “all necessary actions” would be taken to restore social order by Monday morning. Many in Hong Kong were on holiday for much of last week. |
| “This is definitely not the end. We’ve never set a timeframe for how long this should go on. It’s normal for people to go home, to come and go,” said Alex Chow, of the Hong Kong Federation of Students. | “This is definitely not the end. We’ve never set a timeframe for how long this should go on. It’s normal for people to go home, to come and go,” said Alex Chow, of the Hong Kong Federation of Students. |
| “It’s up to the government now. This is the first step, but the pressure has to continue.” | “It’s up to the government now. This is the first step, but the pressure has to continue.” |
| He told the South China Morning Post: “The ball is in the government’s court … We are all waiting and watching how the government acts, to see if this is their tactic to draw this out or whether they are willing to actually hold dialogue.” | He told the South China Morning Post: “The ball is in the government’s court … We are all waiting and watching how the government acts, to see if this is their tactic to draw this out or whether they are willing to actually hold dialogue.” |
| The Federation held a late-night meeting with officials on Sunday, but failed to reach an agreement on the basis for formal talks over political reform. | The Federation held a late-night meeting with officials on Sunday, but failed to reach an agreement on the basis for formal talks over political reform. |
| Chow said the government’s willingness to hold a preparation meeting early this week would show how sincere it is about the discussions. | Chow said the government’s willingness to hold a preparation meeting early this week would show how sincere it is about the discussions. |
| Leung first offered talks on Thursday, after several days of occupation, but student leaders called them off after demonstrators were violently assaulted in Mong Kok on Friday, complaining that police had not protected them. They returned to the table on Sunday night, saying police had now guaranteed protesters’ safety. | Leung first offered talks on Thursday, after several days of occupation, but student leaders called them off after demonstrators were violently assaulted in Mong Kok on Friday, complaining that police had not protected them. They returned to the table on Sunday night, saying police had now guaranteed protesters’ safety. |
| But even among the remaining demonstrators, hopes of making progress on the protest’s central demand – the need to loosen restrictions on the election of the next chief executive in 2017 – are ebbing. The movement was sparked by Beijing’s insistence that nominations must be tightly controlled if universal suffrage is introduced. | But even among the remaining demonstrators, hopes of making progress on the protest’s central demand – the need to loosen restrictions on the election of the next chief executive in 2017 – are ebbing. The movement was sparked by Beijing’s insistence that nominations must be tightly controlled if universal suffrage is introduced. |
| “It’s good that [no police action] happened but … I hoped that something would happen so we could end this thing quickly,” 18-year-old protester Otto Ng told AFP. | “It’s good that [no police action] happened but … I hoped that something would happen so we could end this thing quickly,” 18-year-old protester Otto Ng told AFP. |
| “Everyone is just exhausted and we can’t go [on for a] long, long, long time.” | “Everyone is just exhausted and we can’t go [on for a] long, long, long time.” |
| Divisions appeared within the protest movement on Sunday, as some withdrew from Mong Kok neighbourhood and the gate outside the chief executive’s office, while others arrived to replace them. | Divisions appeared within the protest movement on Sunday, as some withdrew from Mong Kok neighbourhood and the gate outside the chief executive’s office, while others arrived to replace them. |
| Many of the protesters do not identify themselves with any of the groups who initiated the movement: the Federation, the student group Scholarism and Occupy Central, which originally planned the civil disobedience campaign. That will inevitably make it harder to bring a smooth conclusion to the campaign. | Many of the protesters do not identify themselves with any of the groups who initiated the movement: the Federation, the student group Scholarism and Occupy Central, which originally planned the civil disobedience campaign. That will inevitably make it harder to bring a smooth conclusion to the campaign. |
| A spokesperson for Occupy Central said its leaders, Benny Tai and Chan Kin-man, were not commenting on developments because they were backing the students. | A spokesperson for Occupy Central said its leaders, Benny Tai and Chan Kin-man, were not commenting on developments because they were backing the students. |
| “They respect the students and let them stand in the spotlight,” she said. | “They respect the students and let them stand in the spotlight,” she said. |