Hong Kong students march on city leader's home

Police officers stand guard as students carry a defaced cutout of Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung...
Police officers stand guard as students carry a defaced cutout of Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying during a protest march to his residence in Hong Kong. Photo by Reuters
Hundreds of students marched to the official residence of Hong Kong's leader Leung Chun-ying on Thursday to demand a meeting as tensions simmer over the financial hub's democratic future.

Hong Kong returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997 as a "special administrative region" with a high degree of autonomy and freedoms not enjoyed on mainland China under a formula known as "one country, two systems".

But Beijing last month rejected demands for people to freely choose the city's next leader, prompting threats from pro-democracy activists to shut down the Central financial district.

Over the past four days, thousands of students from 24 universities and colleges have staged a citywide boycott of classes to demand full democracy and not a Chinese style "fake" election with pre-screened candidates as Beijing wants.

The protests are expected to culminate in a full-scale "Occupy Central" blockade of roads in the main financial district on Oct. 1 in one of the city's largest and potentially most disruptive acts of civil disobedience.

Leaders of the Federation of Hong Kong students -- the class boycott organisers -- said they had not sought police permission for the march to Government House, a sprawling colonial era mansion in the hills above the financial district.

"Tonight, CY Leung is our most wanted criminal," said Nathan Law, one of the students.

MINOR CLASHES

The march follows a refusal by the Beijing-backed Leung to heed a 48-hour ultimatum to meet the students. Leung, however, said in a statement he respected the "students' aspirations and perseverance on democracy and their expectations on and willingness to take responsibility for the future of Hong Kong."

A police spokesman urged the students to "maintain social order" and to express their views "peacefully and rationally".

A smaller group of younger secondary school students are expected to join the boycott on Friday. The student protests are part of a string of civil disobedience acts, including an unofficial referendum and an overnight sit-in in the city's business district on July 2 that led to more than 500 arrests.

There have been minor clashes with police this week but the protests have remained largely peaceful and authorities have been tolerant in allowing public assemblies at Tamar Park, located between the government headquarters and the legislature.

While the mood has been defiant but peaceful so far in the gatherings on a large grass slope overlooking Victoria harbour, there have been signs of underlying social tensions between the city's liberal factions and conservative pro-Beijing supporters.

A teenager had his front tooth cracked when a middle-aged man elbowed him in the face as he spoke into a loud hailer on a street corner to drum up support for the school boycott.

"I find it shocking how they accuse us of using violence and of acting like Red Guards to get our way," said Chow Kar-ho, the 16-year-old victim, after the attack. "But now they use the same violence against us."

The organisers of Occupy Central have all but confirmed a "grand banquet" will take place on Oct. 1 drawing an expected 10,000 people, but have been vague about specifics for fear of being arrested ahead of their action.

"If there are ... 10,000 people sitting on the roads, and if four policemen are needed to haul off each person, then this will take some time," said Chan Kin-man, one of the organisers.

Add a Comment