Hong Kong Democracy Protesters Plan New Actions Ahead of Talks
Hong Kongs pro-democracy protest leaders called for people to rally on the streets tomorrow ahead of the first formal talks with the government, as they sought to bolster thinning crowds.
The government needs to give a concrete response or there will be more civil disobedience actions, student leader Alex Chow told reporters today. Chow called on university students to continue a class boycott started Sept. 22.
The rallies blocking roads in some of the financial centers main business districts swelled to include as many as 200,000 people before fading as weary demonstrators returned to work and school. Formal talks with the citys No. 2 official Carrie Lam are scheduled for tomorrow, although student leaders have said the initial discussions werent promising and failed to address their demands for a free election in the city.
Hong Kong's Autonomy
The government has to let people know whether there will be hope for Hong Kongs democratic development, said Chow, of the Hong Kong Federation of Students. Hong Kong people will not easily retreat because the reason why they are here is to put pressure on the government.
The protest leaders spoke after the market closed. The benchmark Hang Seng Index (HSI) advanced 1.2 percent today, taking its gains since talks were agreed to on Oct. 2 to 2.6 percent.
Representatives from the Hong Kong Federation of Students, Scholarism, Occupy Central With Love and Peace, and opposition lawmakers all spoke today in a show of unity, amid concerns that the democracy activists were splintered and uncoordinated.
Slideshow: Hong Kong's Democracy Standoff
Protest leaders have previously said they hold limited control over the tens of thousands of youths who took to the streets in almost two weeks of demonstrations. While the crowds have dwindled to just hundreds, barricades are still in place, disrupting rush-hour traffic and increasingly angering the public.
They are making their voices heard at the expense of the public to carry on with their normal daily lives, Police Chief Superintendent Hui Chun-tak told reporters today. The road blockade has increased the tensions between protesters and the local community.
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Hong Kong Democracy Protesters Plan New Actions Ahead of Talks