Thursday, October 2, 2014

Hong Kong protests: Tension mounts at office stand-off

2 October 2014 Last updated at 08:33 ET

by Xian Wan and Biodun Iginla, BBC News, Hong Kong

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Steve Hui, Hong Kong police spokesman, said the force would "not tolerate any illegal surrounding of government buildings"

HK protests

Tension is growing at the Hong Kong government office in the Central district, with reports of protesters scuffling with police who are stockpiling riot gear.

Students have massed outside the office demanding that Chief Executive CY Leung resign by midnight.
They say they will occupy government buildings if he does not comply.
Protesters are angry at China's plan to vet candidates for polls in 2017, saying they want full democracy.
The main protest sites at Central, Causeway Bay, Mong Kok and Canton Road have remained peaceful.
But police and government have reiterated their call for protesters to disperse, and the police have warned they will not stand by if protesters breach the government office compound near Tamar Park.
The BBC's Babita Sharma says a few hundred people have gathered outside. The crowd began building yesterday after student leaders issued their ultimatum.
Police set up a cordon, and the South China Morning Post is reporting confrontations between the police and protesters.
By Thursday evening local time, police officers were seen carrying in riot gear and supplies.

Local police carry in tubs of riot supplies and gear, including some labelled "rubber baton" to the government compound where student protesters have gathered, Thursday, 2 October 2014 in Hong Kong

Police have been carrying in tubs and canisters labelled "riot" and "batons" into the government compound

Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao was told by police that they were stocking rubber bullets, tear gas, and other weapons at the site.
An unnamed official told the paper that if protesters breached the cordon set up by the police, they "will definitely use these weapons to deal with protesters".
The police and Hong Kong government have been criticised for using tear gas to disperse protesters over last weekend.

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Carrie Gracie: Protesters light up the streets in the main financial district

'Appropriate force' Earlier on Thursday, police spokesman Steve Hui told reporters that if protesters surrounded and occupied Mr Leung's office, this would cause public safety problems.
"The police will not stand by and watch. We will decisively uphold the law," he said.
When asked if tear gas would be used, Mr Hui said the police would monitor the situation and would use "appropriate force if necessary".
The Hong Kong government said in a separate statement that the protesters were conducting a "siege" and, if it continued, government and police operations would "be seriously affected".
"This will eventually affect social order and the provision of government services to the public and society," it said, adding that 3,000 government officials were due to return to work on Friday.

Pro-democracy demonstrators rest after overnight protests near the Hong Kong government headquarters on 2 October 2014

Protesters have been sleeping on roads around government buildings for several days

Police officers gather as protesters block the entrance to Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung's offices in Hong Kong on 2 October 2014

There is a heavy police presence outside the office of Chief Executive CY Leung

'Disrespecting the law' Meanwhile China's state media have strongly backed Hong Kong's chief executive, praising his performance while condemning protests as "chaos".
The Chinese Communist Party's official newspaper, People's Daily, praised Mr Leung's handling of the situation in a front-page editorial on Thursday.
"The central government is full of confidence in Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, and is completely satisfied with his performance," it said.
Beijing "will thus continue to strongly support Mr Leung's leadership of Hong Kong's legal administration as well as the police's handling of illegal activities", it added.

Juliana Liu, BBC News, Hong Kong The senior Chinese leadership has set out clear limits on who can run for the position of chief executive, Hong Kong's top leader, in 2017.
The rules make it virtually impossible for anyone not trusted by the Chinese government to stand for election.
As a result, the protesters accuse Beijing of reneging on decades of vows to give Hong Kong people genuine democracy.
But although there is widespread anger that Beijing may have violated the spirit of the agreements it has made, there is intense debate over whether it has violated the letter of the law.
Read more: Did China go back on its promises?

People's Daily also carried on its website a comment piece from another newspaper which stated: "Hong Kong has for many years enjoyed peace and harmony.
"It now sees the emergence of this embarrassing chaos, and the root cause lies with a few people who are disrespecting the law.
"Chaos denies Hong Kong residents their prosperity, goes against their wishes, and is not what all Chinese people wish to see or what we can tolerate."

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Ali Moore: Have Hong Kong protests hit the shopping industry?

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi has also criticised the protests as "illegal" and warned other countries to stay out of the issue.
Speaking in Washington on Wednesday, he said the protests were an "internal affair" for China.
Hong Kong authorities had "the capability to properly handle the current situation", he said.

In other developments:

Mainland authorities have suspended bookings for tour groups to Hong Kong, the South China Morning Post reported
On Wednesday, several rallies supporting the protests took place around the world, including in Taiwan, London and Macau
Rights groups say some mainland-based activists have been detained

Several reports, citing unidentified Hong Kong sources, suggest the authorities plan to wait, hoping the protest campaign will lose momentum.

Hong Kong democracy timeline

1997: UK gives Hong Kong back to China under a 1984 agreement giving it "a high degree of autonomy" for 50 years
2004: China says it must approve any changes to Hong Kong's election laws
June-July 2014: Pro-democracy activists hold an unofficial referendum on political reform; both sides hold large rallies
31 August 2014: China says it will allow direct elections in 2017 but will pre-approve candidates
22 September 2014: Student groups launch a week-long boycott of classes
28 September 2014: Occupy Central and student protests join forces and take over central Hong Kong
2017: Direct elections for chief executive due to take place
2047: Expiry of current agreements

Q&A: Hong Kong's democracy controversy

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