Hong Kong resorts to tear gas to break up democracy protesters after warnings

[Valin]

Reuters:

Venus Wu and Donny Kwok

HONG KONG Sun Sep 28, 2014

 

(Reuters) - Hong Kong police fired repeated volleys of tear gas to disperse pro-democracy protests on Sunday and baton-charged the crowd blocking a key road in the government district after official warnings against illegal demonstrations.

 

The city's Admiralty district had descended into chaos as chanting protesters converged on police barricades surrounding colleagues who had earlier launched a "new era" of civil disobedience to pressure Beijing into granting full democracy to Hong Kong.

 

Police, in lines five deep in places and wearing helmets and gas masks, staged repeated pepper spray attacks and shot tear gas into the air. The crowds fled several hundred yards, scattering their umbrellas and hurling abuse at police "cowards".

 

Crowds returned however and by early evening tens of thousands of protesters were thronging streets, including outside the prominent Pacific Place shopping mall that leads towards the Central financial district.

 

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[Valin]

Is Hong Kong on brink of its own version of Tiananmen Square?

Leslie Eastman

Sunday, September 28, 2014

 

My stepdaughter, a graduate of UCLA with a degree in Chinese, works in Beijing.

 

Today, she has been regularly protesting updates via Facebook on the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, and confirms that tear gas is being used to disperse the massive crowds.

 

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Tens of thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators are surging through the streets of Hong Kong to protest against Beijings influence over how the semi-autonomous territory elects its top officials.

 

Police used several rounds of tear gas to scatter the mostly peaceful crowds that had blocked one of Hong Kongs main thoroughfares in the early evening. But protestors did not disperse entirely.

 

Earlier today, pro-democracy group Occupy Central announced the beginning of a civil disobedience campaign intended to disrupt Asias largest financial center until its demands for free elections are met. The campaign, originally planned for October, is riding a wave of momentum following a sit-in over the weekend where televised clashes between police and students, some of whom were pepper sprayed, prompted city residents to rally in support of the students. Organizers say that around 60,000 demonstrators were on the streets today, media reports put that number at 30,000, and police have not given an estimate.

 

 

In the afternoon, Hong Kong officials flatly refused Occupy Centrals demandsthe reversal of a decision from Beijing last month that would give China vetting power over Hong Kongs elections and the resumption of consultations on political reform in Hong Kong. At a press conference, Hong Kongs chief executive Leung Chun-ying dubbed the assembly an illegal act. The Hong Kong government also released a statement stressing that its decision to implement universal suffrage in 2017 is legally binding. The government has all along been listening attentively to the members of public and are committed to maintaining a diversified society, it said.

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[clearvision]

What!? They don't consider a real democratic election if the mainland chooses the candidates they get to vote on?

[Valin]

What!? They don't consider a real democratic election if the mainland chooses the candidates they get to vote on?

 

I know...some people just like to cause trouble.

[Valin]

Hong Kong Protests Swell as Riot Police Withdraw
Crowds Grow in Hong Kong Areas of Admiralty, Mong Kok and Causeway Bay

Isabella Steger, Jason Chow and Jacky Wong
Sept. 29, 2014

 

HONG KONG—Pro-democracy rallies in Hong Kong grew on Monday as newcomers joined protesters across the city, while riot police pulled back after failing to disperse crowds overnight with tear gas and pepper spray.

 

The protests—centered on Beijing's decision to impose limits on how Hong Kong elects its leader—took on an air of spontaneity, growing as the day progressed despite the hot sun. (Read The Wall Street Journal's live updates on the protests here.)

 

As new protesters joined tired marchers who had battled police the night before, crowds swelled in three important districts in the city—Admiralty, where the rallies began, and the shopping district of Causeway Bay as well as in Mong Kok, another busy area across Victoria Harbour in Kowloon.

 

Some schools and offices were closed Monday. Still, much of Hong Kong's business district was operating as normal. As people left work Monday evening, many joined protesters.

 

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[Valin]

[Valin]

People's Daily Online

Street movement ruins Hong Kong image

September 30, 2014

 

Radical activists in Hong Kong announced early Sunday the launch of the Occupy Central movement, raising the curtain on an illicit campaign earlier than expected. Photos of Hong Kong police being forced to disperse demonstrators with teargas have been widely circulated online across the world. These activists are jeopardizing the global image of Hong Kong, and presenting the world with the turbulent face of the city.

 

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[Valin]

 

Q&A: Everything You Need to Know About Hong Kong Demonstrations

Mike Gonzalez

September 30, 2014

 

Q: Why are thousands of people demonstrating in Hong Kong now?

 

Because when the former colonial master Britain handed Hong Kong over to China, the latter promised universal suffrage in the choice of their leader, or chief executive, and, under the formula of “One Country, Two Systems,” that their separate way of life would be respected.

 

China appears to have backtracked on both fronts, saying recently that Hong Kong people could only vote for their leader from among a handful of candidates picked by Beijing and beholden to the Communist Party. Hong Kong is a sophisticated financial center with a high GDP per capita, and its 6.8 million people know they can make their own political choices. Ultimately, of course, they are protesting because freedom is elemental to the human condition: we’re all born free and it’s only bad governments that check our liberties. Our instinct is to constantly break free.

 

Q: Who are some of the key leaders and figures in the demonstrations?

 

Martin Lee is the father of the Hong Kong democratic movement, a soft-spoken septuagenarian legislator who has worked indefatigably for freedom since the 1980s. Another is Anson Chan, the former head of the civil service and the most popular and trusted political figure in Hong Kong. Jimmy Lai, the owner of Hong Kong’s last independent newspaper, Apple Daily, supports freedom not just in Hong Kong, but also in the mainland. A new leader that is emerging in these latest protests is Joshua Wong, a bookish 17-year-old Christian student who is inspired by his Christian faith and America’s Founding Fathers.

 

Q: How is China responding?

By overreacting and not permitting Hong Kongers to have the liberties to which they are entitled..........(Snip)

[Valin]

One System, Two Media: How China, Hong Kong Are Covering The Protests

Krishnadev Calamur
October 01, 2014

 

Hong Kong media are providing wall-to-wall coverage of the protests calling for the resignation of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, but in mainland China there has been little to no mention of the unrest.

 

The contrast is an illustration of the "one country, two systems" policy that has been in place since the former British colony reverted to Chinese rule in 1997.

 

China's official Xinhua news agency quoted Leung as saying today — China's National Day holiday — that Hong Kong must capitalize on the "one country, two systems" policy with China. The story did not directly mention the protests, but quoted Leung as saying:

 

"It is understandable that different people may have different ideas about a desirable reform package. But it is definitely better to have universal suffrage than not. It is definitely better to have the CE elected by five million eligible voters than by 1,200 people."

 

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[Valin]

[Valin]

Hong Kong's leader and protesters agree to talks

Calum MacLeod, USA TODAY

7:56 p.m. EDT October 2, 2014

 

HONG KONG — This city's embattled chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, offered late Thursday to hold talks with pro-democracy protesters who have swarmed this city for a week, but he refused to resign as they demanded.

 

The Federation of Hong Kong Students said in a statement early Friday it would join the talks, focusing on political changes. The students reiterated that Leung should step down because he "had lost his integrity."

 

Occupy Central, a broader group that joined the protests, welcomed the talks but also wants Leung to step down. Occupy Central "hopes the talks can provide a turning point in the current political stalemate," the group said in a statement. "We reiterate our view that Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying is the one responsible for the stalemate and that he must step down."

 

At a news conference, Leung said he asked the territory's top civil servant, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam, to arrange talks with the protesters, who call for free elections.

 

"I will not resign," Leung said.

 

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