– Slim hope from talks –
Talks between student protest leaders and government officials are still set to go ahead on Tuesday despite the clashes. But with little common ground, there are slim hopes of a breakthrough.
China insists that candidates for the 2017 vote for Hong Kong’s leader must be approved by a pro-Beijing committee — a condition which the protesters dismiss as “fake democracy”.
But Leung warned that Beijing has no intention of caving in to the protesters.
He brought along a copy of Hong Kong’s mini-constitution to Sunday’s interview, saying there was nothing in it specifying the right for Hong Kongers to nominate their own candidates.
Asked if he could rule out a violent crackdown on the demonstrators, he said: “The Hong Kong government and the police force have exercised extreme tolerance and patience. That’s what we have done and what we will continue to do.”
But he also vowed to “restore law and order in Hong Kong as soon as possible”.
Although the crowds have shrunk from their peak of tens of thousands earlier in the month, the protests continue to block major roads, with some residents growing increasingly frustrated by the disruption.
Some protesters at the Mongkok camp donned hard hats and makeshift protective gear fashioned out of household items on Sunday in anticipation of further clashes with police.
Posters stuck around the camp read: “Calm down. Don’t forget our original purpose.”
Hong Kong’s police force traditionally pride themselves as being “Asia’s finest”, but their reputation has taken a battering since they used tear gas against the protesters on September 28, with images of the chaotic street battles beamed around the world.
The latest surge in violence comes after video footage emerged last week showing plainclothes officers beating a handcuffed protester as he lay on the ground.
A former British colony, Hong Kong was handed back to Chinese rule in 1997 under a “one country, two systems” deal that guarantees freedoms not seen on the mainland. But fears have been growing that these liberties are being eroded.
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