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Latest on Hong Kong pro-democracy protests: Students plan march after fruitless talks with government

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For a few weeks now, Hong Kong has been seeing demonstrations by pro-democracy protesters who are demanding the right to freely choose their own leader in a landmark election due to be held in 2017.

Pro-democracy activists have been protesting outside the government headquarters and have occupied several major city intersections, apart from barricading the central business district. 

The government and the student leaders of the pro-democracy protests are set to meet for the first time on tuesday, October 21, for talks to resolve the deepening political crisis.

LATEST UPDATES:

Wednesday, 22 October 2014

* Protesters plan march after fruitless talks with government
Hong Kong protesters planned to march to the home of the city's Beijing-backed leader on Wednesday to push their case for greater democracy a day after talks between student leaders and senior officials failed to break the deadlock.

A wide chasm separates the protesters and the government, which has labelled their actions illegal and repeatedly said their demand for open nominations was impossible under the laws of the former British colony. Expectations had been low for a breakthrough in Tuesday evening's televised talks which were cordial and pitted five of the city's most senior officials against five tenacious but poised student leaders n black T-shirts. Read more

Tuesday, 21 October 2014

* Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying indicates possible concession as student-government talks start
The panel chosen to pick candidates for Hong Kong's 2017 election could be made "more democratic", the territory's leader said on Tuesday, the first indication of a possible concession to pro-democracy protesters who have blocked city streets for weeks.

Leung Chun-ying was talking just hours before formal talks got under way between student protest leaders and city officials aimed at defusing the crisis in the former British colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997. "There's room for discussion there," he told reporters. "There's room to make the nominating committee more democratic." Read more

* Officials, pro-democracy protesters set for first talks on political crisis today
Senior Hong Kong government officials will meet student leaders for the first time on Tuesday in an attempt to defuse more than three weeks of pro-democracy protests which have brought parts of the Asian financial centre to a standstill. Hopes are low for any breakthrough during the evening talks, which will be broadcast live, with both sides refusing to give ground in resolving the worst political crisis in the former British colony since it was handed back to China in 1997. 

In blunt remarks that could inflame students ahead of the talks, Hong Kong's Beijing-backed leader, Leung Chun-ying, told some foreign media on Monday that free elections were unacceptable partly because they risked giving Hong Kong's poor and working class a dominant voice in politics. Read more


Lego characters depict a scene of protesters confronting riot police on a table outside the government headquarters in Hong Kong. Image credit: Reuters

BACKGROUND:
Hong Kong, located on China's southern coast, is a special administrative region and enjoys a high degree of autonomy, including having its own legal system. The leader of Hong Kong is a chief executive who is currently elected by a 1,200-member committee. Hong Kong's first direct leadership election is due in 2017.

However, political reform has been a constant source of friction between Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement and mainland China since the former British colony was handed back to Communist Party rulers in 1997.

On August 31, 2014, China's parliament rejected the demands of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement for the right to freely choose their leader, and said it would tightly control the nomination of candidates for the 2017 elections. The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) said it had endorsed a framework to let only two or three candidates run in the elections. A 1,200-member nominating panel will vet candidates, who must be "patriots", and obtain majority backing from the committee. There can be no open nominations. The nominating committee is likely to be stacked with Beijing loyalists.

This move by China has prompted a "civil disobedience" campaign by Hong Kong's pro-democracy activists, which has escalated into unrest and the use of tear gas and batons by riot police.

READ: How Hong Kong's electoral process works


Image credit: Reuters

PREVIOUS UPDATES:

Monday, 20 October 2014

China's Communist Party kicks off key meeting amid Hong Kong protests
China's ruling Communist Party (CPC) kicked off a key meeting on Sunday which would deliberate on the "rule of law" for the first time in the Party's history to improve functioning of the much criticised judiciary as authorities struggled to contain pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.

Over 370 members and alternate members of the Communist Party of China, will attend the three-day meeting chaired by President Xi Jinping here to discuss a vast agenda, including broadening of economic reforms and firming up rule of law in the country. Read more

Hong Kong crisis deepens after weekend clashes, talks set for Tuesday
A deepening sense of impasse gripped Hong Kong as pro-democracy protests entered their fourth week, with the government having limited options to end the crisis and demonstrators increasingly willing to confront police.

Dozens of people were reportedly injured in two nights of clashes that began late on Friday in the densely populated Mong Kok district of the Chinese-controlled city, including 22 police. Four people were arrested early on Sunday, police said. The area was calm early on Monday, although scores of protesters remained on the streets. Read more

Sunday, 19 October 2014

Street battles rage as Hong Kong protesters, police clash despite imminent talks
Violent clashes erupted early on Sunday in a Hong Kong protest hotspot as unarmed pro-democracy activists once again confronted riot police despite the confirmation of talks between protest leaders and officials early this week. In the early hours of Sunday, demonstrators launched a fresh midnight assault, suddenly putting on helmets and goggles to ready themselves, before surging forward to grab a line of metal barricades hemming them into a section of road. Read more

Saturday, 18 October 2014

Hong Kong activists regroup; police chief warns safety at risk
Hong Kong pro-democracy activists recaptured parts of a core protest zone from police early on Saturday after hours of turmoil that the city's police chief warned undermined order and jeopardised public safety. 

Dozens of people were injured in the skirmishes, including 15 police, which raged through the night as several thousand protesters, some wearing protective goggles and helmets squared off again police in the densely populated Mong Kok district. At least 26 people were arrested. Read more

Hong Kong police arrest 26 amid street clashes
Hong Kong riot police battled with thousands of pro-democracy protesters for control of the city's streets, using pepper spray and batons to hold back defiant activists who returned to a protest zone that officers had partially cleared. Authorities said police arrested 26 people.

Police and activists engaged in running clashes in Mong Kok's dense grid of streets, scuffling for hours. Several protesters were seen knocked to the ground, and dozens were carried or taken away by police. The government said some 9,000 people gathered at the scene, repeatedly charging police lines in an attempt to retake roads. Read more


Image credit: Reuters

Friday, 17 October 2014

Hong Kong police clear protesters, barricades in surprise dawn raid
Hundreds of Hong Kong police staged a dawn raid on Friday on one of the key sites occupied by pro-democracy protesters, removing barricades from roads and clearing out most of the demonstrators in an another setback for their movement.

The operation in the gritty working class area of Mong Kok, across the harbour from the main demonstration zone near the office of Hong Kong's leader, came while many protesters were asleep in their tents. Read more

Also Read: What Hong Kong means for the global economy

Thursay, 16 October 2014

* China blocks BBC website as Hong Kong tensions rise
Chinese censors have blocked the website of Britain's national broadcaster, the BBC said in a statement late on Wednesday, coming as tensions rise in Hong Kong between pro-democracy protesters and police.

The broadcaster said that the move seemed to be "deliberate censorship". It did not say what may have prompted the move by Beijing, which also blocks the websites of the New York Times, news wire Bloomberg and the BBC's Chinese language website. Read more

Wednesday, 15 October 2014

China rebukes Taiwan for 'irresponsible' comments on Hong Kong
China's top body in charge of relations with Taiwan rebuked the self-ruled island on Wednesday for its "irresponsible" comments on the pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong, and took a swipe at protests that often happen in democratic Taiwan.

Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou has expressed support for the demonstrators in the former British colony, and last week urged China to move towards democracy. 

Fan Liqing, spokeswoman for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, said China was "resolutely opposed" to comments from Taiwan about either Hong Kong or China's political system. "The Taiwan side should not make irresponsible remarks about this," Fan said. "The fruits of the peaceful development of cross-strait ties have not come easily, and need exceptional cherishing. Taiwan should do more to benefit the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, not the opposite," she added. Read more


A pro-democracy protester in Hong Kong carries a Captain America shield. Image credit: Reuters

Tuesday, 14 October 2014

China won't cede to Hong Kong protests, but army to be used only as last resort
China's ruling Communist Party believes it has offered enough concessions to Hong Kong in the past, and will give no ground to pro-democracy protests because it wants to avoid setting a precedent for reform on the mainland, sources told Reuters.

However, China has decided there will not be a bloody crackdown in Hong Kong, and sending in the People's Liberation Army would only happen if there were widespread chaos, sources said.

"There won't be bloodshed like June 4," the source said, referring to the 1989 crackdown, where the army violently suppressed student-led demonstrations for democracy centred on Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989. "The People's Liberation Army will be dispatched only as a last resort if there is widespread chaos - killing, arson and looting," the source added. Read more

Hong Kong police make fresh attempt to clear barricaded roads
Hong Kong police made fresh attempts on Tuesday to unblock streets that have been occupied for two weeks by pro-democracy protesters, removing more barricades a day after clashes broke out as opponents of the protest movement tried to reclaim roads.

Police, criticised for using tear gas and batons in the first 24 hours of the protests, have adopted a more patient approach, counting on protesters to come under public pressure to clear some of the Chinese-controlled city's major arteries. Read more

Monday, 13 October 2014

Scuffles break out as Hong Kong anti-protest groups tear down barricades
Hundreds of unidentified people, some wearing masks, tore down protest barriers in the heart of Hong Kong's business district on Monday, scuffling with protesters who have occupied the streets for the past two weeks.

Angry taxi drivers opposed to the protests, which have seriously affected their business, rallied at one barricaded road with a row of 12 taxis, demanding an end to the protest. "Open the roads," chanted the crowd, which included taxi and truck drivers. Taxi drivers had earlier given protesters a deadline of Wednesday evening for all barricades to be lifted. Read more

China police hold pro-democracy activists over 'Hong Kong interview'
Chinese police have detained two Beijing women activists, Zhang Xiuhua and Li Lihua, who took part in a Hong Kong pro-democracy march, a friend said on Monday, the latest of dozens of arrests over the protests. They were detained by police last week on charges of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble". 

In July, Zhang and Li spoke in Hong Kong to foreign media affiliated with the Falun Gong spiritual movement, which is banned on the mainland, as they took part in a pro-democracy march that drew tens of thousands of people. Read more

China will not change decision to vet candidates for 2017 elections: says Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying
Despite facing widespread protests from pro-democracy demonstrators, Hong Kong's Chief Executive CY Leung has made it clear that China will not change its decision to vet the candidates in the 2017 elections, a report said. Leung said the protests had "spun out of control" and did not rule out the use of force to end them, reported the BBC. Read more


The protests have been called an "Umbrella revolution" after protesters used umbrellas to shield themselves from pepper spray and tear gas fired at them by riot police. Image credit: Reuters

Saturday, 11 October 2014

Hacker group 'Anonymous' threatens China with 'Operation Hong Kong'
The infamous hacker network 'Anonymous' is now threatening Chinese government with a campaign called 'Operation Hong Kong'. The group, Anonymous, posted online - Here's your heads up, prepare for us, try to stop it, the only success you will have will be taking all your sites offline. They also boasted that China cannot stop them, and China should have expected them before abusing their power against the citizens of Hong Kong. Read more

China accuses US of hand behind Hong Kong protests
Accusing the US of "manipulating" the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, China claimed on Saturday that an American official, who was linked to the Tibetan and Xinjiang's separatist movements, met with key protest leaders. 

"Louisa Greve, a director of the National Endowment for Democracy of the US (NED), was already meeting with the key people from 'Occupy Central' several months ago, to talk about the movement," a commentary in the ruling Communist Party of China's flagship newspaper, the People's Daily online, said, citing media reports. Greve, the Vice President of NED, is responsible for its Asia, Middle East and North Africa programmes. Read more

Pitching tents, Hong Kong democracy protesters dig in for long haul
Hundreds of student activists camped overnight in major protest sites in Hong Kong as the democracy movement showed signs of regathering momentum after the government called off talks with its leaders to defuse unrest in the global financial hub. "We have tents here to show our determination that we're prepared for a long term occupation," said Benny Tai, one of the leaders of the movement, on Saturday morning.

Over one hundred colourful tents were sprinkled across the eight-lane Harcourt Road highway, among scores of red and blue portable marquees serving as supply and first aid stations; stocked with water, biscuits, noodles and cereals. "Even though it seems things are in a bottleneck now, all we can do is to stay on and continue the occupation," said Travis Chu, a protester sitting with four friends on the road. Read more


Image credit: Reuters

Friday, 10 October 2014
 
Hundreds of protesters regrouped in central Hong Kong on Friday to push their call for democracy, a day after the government called off talks with students amid a two-week standoff that has shaken communist China's capitalist hub.

Hong Kong protests: Students undaunted by authorities' rejection of talks
Hong Kong student protesters said on Friday they were determined to maintain their campaign for full democracy, undaunted by the city government's rejection of talks aimed at defusing a standoff that has shaken communist China's capitalist hub. The government's decision to call off the talks with the students scheduled for Friday came as democratic lawmakers demanded anti-graft officers investigate a $6.4 million business payout to the city's pro-Beijing leader while in office. Read more

Thursday, 9 October 2014

Democracy activists seek probe into $6.4 million payment to Hong Kong leader
Pro-democracy lawmakers demanded an investigation into Hong Kong's embattled leader Leung Chun-ying on Thursday over a $6.4 million payment he received from an Australian engineering firm while in office. The controversy ratchets up the pressure on the pro-Beijing leader just days after tens of thousands of people occupied the streets of the Asian financial centre to demand greater democracy and call for Leung to step down. Read more


Image credit: Reuters

Wednesday, 8 October 2014

Crackdown or climbdown: Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters face stark choices
Student protesters galvanised Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement with their energy and ideological zeal, bringing tens of thousands of people onto the streets in a show of defiance against Beijing. As events of the last 12 days prove, however, sustaining momentum is difficult, and whatever success protesters had in pressuring the government by disrupting city life, they will always come up against a formidable foe - mainland China. 

Already leaders among students and the "Occupy" movement, as well as tacticians in the city's pro-democracy camp, say they are doubtful of an outcome that will pacify radical and moderate demonstrators, possibly paving the way for another crackdown. Protesters' core demands, namely full democracy in Hong Kong including an open nomination process for elections for the city's next leader in 2017, are not even on the agenda. "After the talks there will likely be another crisis," said pro-democracy lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan, who has helped advise the students behind the scenes. "You don't know what each party will do and what will trigger a crackdown or a backdown. It's very difficult to say." Read more

Hong Kong protests: Talks with government likely to go nowhere
Hong Kong pro-democracy protests that brought tens of thousands on to the streets last week dwindled to a few hundred on Wednesday after activist leaders agreed to talks with the government which are all but certain to go nowhere. Friday's talks will focus on "the basis for political development", the government said, referring to plans for a 2017 election of the chief executive, Hong Kong's leader, but it was unclear how discussions could reconcile two such polarised positions. Read more

Tuesday, 7 October 2014

Talks between protesters, Hong Kong government to start on Friday
Pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong agreed with the city's government late on Tuesday to start formal talks later this week to address concerns that have brought tens of thousands of people onto the city's streets. "We have confirmed that we will hold the first round of meetings on Friday at 4 pm," Lau Kong-wah, the government's undersecretary of constitutional and mainland affairs, said after a discussion with student representatives on Tuesday. The talks would focus on "the basis for political development and the legal implementations of these political reforms", he said. Read more

Pro-democracy activists agree to talks as protesters' numbers dwindle
Hong Kong protest leaders said late on Monday they had agreed to hold talks with the government as their numbers dwindled and they faced growing pressure to end their pro-democracy sit-in. The mass rallies that had drawn tens of thousands evaporated on Monday night in the face of a warning from Hong Kong's embattled leader Leung Chun-ying to leave the streets and allow government offices to reopen. Read more


Image credit: Reuters

Monday, 6 October 2014

Protesters start to pull back fearing government crackdown
Some of Hong Kong's pro-democracy protesters have pulled back, fearing a crackdown as city leaders have called for the streets to be cleared so businesses, schools and civil servants could resume on Monday. Some protesters left the Mong Kok area of the city, pulling back from the scene of recent clashes with those who back the pro-Beijing government. "We're afraid there may be a police crackdown, so we came here to support. The more people we have, the harder it is for the police to clear," said Lester Leung, 25, who said he was ready to stay on the streets all night. Read more

Protesters divided on withdrawal as deadline looms to clear streets
Pro-democracy demonstrators stood divided on Monday over whether to withdraw from protest sites across Hong Kong, hours before a government deadline to clear key roads they have blockaded for the last week. Embattled Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying has said his administration was determined to "take all necessary actions to restore social order" and pave the way for government staff to resume work by Tuesday morning. Read more

Sunday, 5 October 2014

* Hong Kong government may resume on Monday, but protests to go on
Hong Kong pro-democracy protest leaders said they would unblock access to government buildings to allow civil servants to go back to work next week, but defied calls from the Chinese-controlled city's leaders to end their demonstrations. Read more

Saturday, 4 October 2014

Tensions surge amid scuffles, signs of backlash; student leader threatens to pull out of planned talks
Fresh scuffles broke out on Saturday between Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters and opponents of the week-long demonstrations, reigniting concerns that the Chinese-controlled city's worst unrest in decades could take a violent turn. The protests have been largely peaceful since police last Sunday fired tear gas at crowds demanding Beijing grant Hong Kong the unfettered right to choose its own leader. 

However, the mood turned ugly on Friday at the most volatile protest site, in the teeming suburb of Mong Kok where some criminal gangs are suspected to be based. Police intervened to prevent a violent escalation, but a rowdy crowd of around 2,000 filled a major intersection in the small hours of Saturday and the atmosphere was highly charged as police in riot gear tried to keep them under control. Read more

* Police arrest 19 people at Hong Kong protest site
Hong Kong police said on Saturday that they have arrested 19 people, some of whom are believed to have organised crime ties, after mobs tried to drive pro- democracy protesters from the streets where they have held a week-long, largely peaceful demonstration. At least 12 people and six officers were injured during the clashes, district commander Kwok Pak-chung said at a pre-dawn press briefing. Protest leaders called off planned talks with the government on political reforms after the battles kicked off yesterday afternoon in gritty, blue-collar Mong Kok, across Victoria Harbor from the activists' main protest camp. Read more

Friday, 3 October 2014

* Clashes between pro-democracy people, opponents as backlash builds against protests
Pro-democracy protesters clashed on Friday with groups of people opposed to their campaign to shut down swathes of Hong Kong, in an apparent backlash after days of anti-government demonstrations. Frustrations boiled over in two of the city's busiest shopping districts, where anti-protester groups started to dismantle barricades that demonstrators have been manning in their battle for fully free elections in the Chinese-ruled territory. Read more

* Hong Kong student protesters agree to talks; leader Leung Chun-Ying refuses to quit
Students whose peaceful pro-democracy protests have gripped Hong Kong agreed on Friday to hold talks with the government while vowing to continue their occupation, as the city's Chief Executive Leung Chun-Ying, who has been under pressure to quit, refused to stand down.

Huge crowds have shut down central areas of the Chinese city with mass sit-ins all week, and had set a midnight Thursday deadline for Leung to quit and for Beijing to guarantee the former British colony full democracy. With his office besieged by thousands of protesters and tensions with police high, a defiant Leung appeared minutes before midnight rejecting calls to go, but offered talks to one prominent student group in a bid to break the impasse. Read more

* Lack of leaders may undermine Hong Kong protests in long run
Pro-democracy protesters on the streets of Hong Kong are proud to proclaim their movement is a ground-up "citizen's revolution", but their lack of a clear leadership could prove a telling weakness as the authorities prepare to play a long game.

"We are not worrying about excessive violence from police, as we don't expect they will repeat it again when the whole world is watching," said Kenneth Mok, a 22-year-old civil engineering graduate, at a protest site in the city's Admiralty district. "We are worrying the movement will lose steam without a clear leader leading. We are worrying that people will go back to normal like nothing has happened." Read more


Image credit: Reuters

Thursday, 2 October 2014

* China warns Hong Kong protesters of 'unimaginable consequences' if pro-democracy demonstrations continue
China's Communist Party has warned Hong Kong protesters of "unimaginable consequences" if they continue with their pro-democracy demonstrations. According to The Independent, the threat made in the party-run People's Daily shows the diminishing patience of the Chinese government toward protesters who have threatened to occupy government buildings unless the city's chief executive, Leung Chun-Ying, resigns immediately. Read more

* Rights groups claim China detained activists supporting Hong Kong protests
Rights groups are claiming that the Chinese authorities have detained over a dozen activists across the country and questioned as many as 60 others for expressing support for pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Since the dramatic escalation of the protests last Sunday, several Chinese citizens have reportedly faced reprisals for voicing their support. Read more

* China backs Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying as pressure to quit grows
Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters demanded the city's embattled leader heed their ultimatum to resign on Thursday, but China backed him "firmly and unshakably" and pledged support for the police. Demonstrators, who have shut down central areas of the southern Chinese city with a mass sit-in, have given Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying until midnight to step down, or face escalated action. Read more

* Loss of public support Hong Kong protesters' biggest risk: Ex-Tiananmen leaders
Former student leaders and activists involved in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests in Beijing say the biggest danger to pro-democracy demonstrators currently confronting the Chinese authorities in Hong Kong is if they lose support from people in the territory and become marginalised.

They say that is a much bigger risk than any possibility of a violent crackdown by Hong Kong police or Chinese soldiers stationed in the territory. In particular, if people can't go about their daily business and the economy starts to suffer badly then public support could quickly drop, leaving the students and others in the protests isolated, warned several of the former protest organizers now living in the US. Read more

* Don't meddle in Hong Kong, China tells foreign countries
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi responded to comments by the United States and others on pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, saying foreign countries should not meddle in China's domestic affairs. Wang, the most senior Chinese official to speak publicly about the protests, said Beijing had "very formally and clearly stated its position: Hong Kong affairs are China's internal affairs. All countries should respect China's sovereignty". Read more

* Hong Kong leader plays waiting game, protesters demand he resigns
Hong Kong's pro-democracy protesters want the leader, Leung Chun-ying, to step down by the end of Thursday and have demanded China introduce full democracy so the city can freely choose its own leader. Leung, appointed by Beijing, has refused to stand down, leaving the two sides far apart in a dispute over how much political control China should have over to Hong Kong. Read more


Image credit: Reuters

Wednesday, 1 October 2014

* Protest leader pledges to step up mass action
A student leader vowed today to step up Hong Kong's huge pro-democracy protests -- including a possible occupation of government offices -- unless the city's leader steps down within a day, as support for the movement grew around the world. Read more

* Advanced iOS virus targeting Hong Kong protestors, says security firm
Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered a computer virus that spies on Apple Inc's iOS operating system for the iPhone and iPad, and they believe it is targeting pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. The malicious software, known as Xsser, is capable of stealing text messages, photos, call logs, passwords and other data from Apple mobile devices, researchers with Lacoon Mobile Security said on Tuesday. Read more

* Divided Chinese eye Hong Kong protests with admiration, anger
For some mainland Chinese in Hong Kong, the sight of thousands of people on the streets protesting for greater democracy is an alien one that has prompted comparisons with the relative lack of political freedom back home. Others are less impressed, and see the mass show of defiance as a dangerous tactic that has shut down large parts of the city and raised the risk of serious confrontation with Hong Kong police. Read more

* China faces growing US pressure over Hong Kong protests, issue to be raised in high-level talks
China is facing growing US pressure to show restraint during mass pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, with the issue to be raised in high-level US-Chinese talks and a prominent US lawmaker expressing "grave concerns". Read more

* Protests in Hong Kong continue in torrential rain even as National Day celebrations begin
Thousands of pro-democracy protesters thronged the streets of Hong Kong early on Wednesday, ratcheting up pressure on the pro-Beijing government that has called the action illegal, with both sides marking uneasy National Day celebrations. There was little sign of momentum flagging on the fifth day of a mass campaign to occupy sections of the city and to express fury at a Chinese decision to limit voters' choices in a 2017 leadership election. Read more


Image credit: Reuters

Tuesday, 30 September 2014

* Pro-democracy academics say they face death threats, intimidation
Some academics at the forefront of Hong Kong's fight for more democracy say they have become targets of death threats or other intimidation. Chan Kin-man, a professor of sociology at the Chinese University and a co-founder of the "Occupy Central" group that wants to lock down the business district, has been on the frontlines of the protests. He said he has a stack of envelopes containing death threats scrawled in Chinese characters. "I understood that once I joined this movement, they would attack me and treat me as an enemy," Chan said. Read more

* "Umbrella Revolution" tag escapes China's censors - so far
China's censors, who have barred most online discussion of the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, have so far not blocked searches for the movement's "Umbrella Revolution" nickname, although it may not survive much longer. Chinese Internet users were still able to post under the hashtag "Umbrella Revolution" in Chinese and English on Sina Weibo, China's popular Twitter-like microblogging service, on Monday and Tuesday. Read more

* Democracy protestors ignore Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying's call to end demonstrations
Hong Kong's embattled leader called today for an immediate end to street demonstrations that have drawn tens of thousands and paralysed the city, but protesters refused to move until Beijing grants the financial hub genuine democracy. In his first public comments since demonstrators were tear gassed by riot police on Sunday evening, chief executive Leung Chun-ying said protests organised by the pro-democracy Occupy Central group had got "out of control".

"Occupy Central founders had said repeatedly that if the movement is getting out of control, they would call for it to stop. I'm now asking them to fulfil the promise they made to society, and stop this campaign immediately," Leung said. But protest leaders immediately rejected Leung's demands and renewed their calls for him to step down. Read more

* Hong Kong protesters stockpile supplies, prepare for long haul
Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters extended a blockade of Hong Kong streets on Tuesday, stockpiling supplies and erecting makeshift barricades ahead of what some fear may be a push by police to clear the roads before Chinese National Day.

Riot police shot pepper spray and tear gas at protesters at the weekend but withdrew on Monday to ease tension as the ranks of demonstrators swelled. Protesters spent the night sleeping or holding vigil unharassed on normally busy roads in the global financial hub. Read more

* US responds to Hong Kong pro-democracy protests with caution, urges China to 'exercise restraint'
The United States is carefully calibrating its response to pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong, showing support for peaceful protests while signaling it has little interest in seeing the situation escalate and risk a harsher crackdown by Chinese authorities. Saying it was closely monitoring the political unrest unfolding on the streets of Hong Kong, the White House on Monday urged security forces there to "exercise restraint" and also called on protesters to "express their views peacefully." Read more


Image credit: Reuters

Monday, 29 September 2014

* China opposes support for Occupy Central in Hong Kong
China opposes any external force supporting "illegal movements" such as Occupy Central, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday in reference to the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, amid massive protests in the former British colony. Read More

* Instagram reportedly blocked in China amid Hong Kong protest
Instagram, the popular photo-sharing service owned by Facebook Inc, has been blocked in China, according to numerous reports, including from Hong Kong-based reporters with the New York Times. The reports came amid pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, where many have posted photos and videos, including of Hong Kong police firing tear gas at demonstrators. Many of the photos were labeled with the hash tag "Occupy Central," a phrase that was blocked on Sunday on Weibo, China's version of Twitter. It had been allowed earlier in the day. Read more

* Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters defy tear gas, baton charge in historic standoff with riot police
Riot police advanced on Hong Kong democracy protesters in the early hours of Monday, firing volleys of tear gas after launching a baton-charge in the worst unrest there since China took back control of the former British colony two decades ago.

Some protesters erected barricades to block security forces amid chaotic scenes still unfolding just hours before one of the world's major financial centres was due to open for business. Many roads leading to the Central business district remained sealed off as thousands defied police calls to retreat. Read more


People write messages of support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, on bits of paper to add to the hundreds of others stuck to the wall of Hong Kong House in central Sydney. Image credit: Reuters

Sunday, 28 September 2014

* Police-student clashes spur plans to blockade Hong Kong
Violent clashes between Hong Kong riot police and students galvanized tens of thousands of supporters for the city's pro-democracy movement and kick-started a plan to lock down the heart of the Asian financial centre early on Sunday. Leaders and supporters of Occupy Central with Love and Peace rallied to support students who were doused with pepper spray early on Saturday after they broke through police barriers and stormed the city's government headquarters. Read more

Saturday, 27 September 2014

* Students clash with riot police
Hong Kong riot police used pepper spray on Saturday to disperse dozens of students who had stormed government headquarters, but an equal number held their ground in protests against Beijing's tightening grip on the city. Read more

Friday, 26 September 2014

Schoolchildren join student protests
Hundreds of children joined students demanding greater democracy for Hong Kong on Friday, capping a week-long campaign that has seen a large cut-out depicting the territory's leader as the devil paraded through the city and calls for him to resign. Secondary school pupils launched a one-day class boycott, supporting the university and college students who began their own class boycott on Monday with a rally that drew about 13,000. Read more

Monday, 22 September 2014

* One in five Hong Kong residents consider leaving over cloudy political future: Survey
More than a fifth of Hong Kong residents are considering leaving the city, spurred by concerns about its political future, a survey by the Chinese University of Hong Kong showed. Hong Kong residents are uneasy after months of rallies, protests and an unofficial referendum have exposed political rifts in the Asian financial hub. Just over 21% of the 1,006 respondents to a survey released on Sunday said they would consider emigrating. The last major emigration from Hong Kong was right before it was returnedto Chinese Communist Party rule in 1997. Read more


Image credit: Reuters

Previous developments and updates:

* Hong Kong braces for protests as China rules out full democracy
Pro-democracy activists vowed on Sunday, August 31, to bring Hong Kong's financial hub to a standstill after China's parliament rejected their demands for the right to freely choose the former British colony's next leader in 2017. Read more

* China's decision to control candidate nomination for Hong Kong 2017 poll could spark protests
China's parliament said on Sunday it will tightly control the nomination of candidates for a landmark election in Hong Kong in 2017, a move likely to trigger mass protests in the city's Central business district by disappointed democracy activists. Read more

* TIMELINE: Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement - February 2011 to June 2014

 

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