Hong Kong democracy protesters defy calls to disperse

10 years ago | Posted in: Latest Politics News | 722 Views

BEIJING — Pro-democracy protesters expanded their rallies throughout Hong Kong on Monday, defying calls to disperse in a major pushback against Beijing’s decision to limit democratic reforms in the Asian financial hub.

Police officers tried to negotiate with protesters camped out on a normally busy highway near the Hong Kong government headquarters that was the scene of tear gas-fueled clashes that erupted the evening before.

The chaotic scene and mass civil disobedience are highly unusual in Hong Kong, a former British colony which returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

Many residents of the commerce-focused city have grown frustrated in recent weeks at Beijing’s refusal to allow a genuine choice of candidates for the 2017 vote for Hong Kong’s leader, called the chief executive.

The current chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, said there was no truth to rumors that the Chinese army was about to intervene and he called on the protesters to obey the law and return to their homes to avoid further trouble.

“We don’t want Hong Kong to get messy,” Leung said in a statement broadcast early Monday.

Chinese authorities revealed their anxiety about the ongoing democracy protests in Hong Kong by apparently blocking the picture-sharing service Instagram on the mainland Sunday.

Users reported they were unable to access Instagram which had shown images of the chaotic scenes Sunday as police fired tear gas at demonstrators. Beijing also blocks other globally popular sites including Twitter and YouTube…. see more

source: usatoday

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