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Hong Kong’s leader says government ready to talk to student protesters Hong Kong’s leader says government ready to talk to student protesters
(about 4 hours later)
HONG KONG — Hong Kong’s leader said Thursday he is ready to start talks with pro-democracy activists as early as next week after police once again used pepper spray to clear protesters from a major road in the Asian financial center. HONG KONG — Hong Kong’s leader said Thursday he is ready to start talks with pro-democracy demonstrators as early as next week, even as he ruled out any concessions that might make headway toward meeting the protesters’ demands.
Embattled Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying told a news conference that the government had been negotiating with the student protesters through middlemen in the past few days. There was no immediate reaction from organizers of the protests — a showdown over Beijing’s control on political affairs and freedoms in the former British colony — but political analysts said Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying had effectively offered talks with one hand while closing the door to compromise with the other.
“Over these past few days ... some middlemen were in touch with the Hong Kong Federation of Students, and we expressed our wish that the two sides can meet officially as early as possible,” Leung told reporters in Hong Kong, the Associated Press reported. “Over the last few days, including this morning through third parties, we expressed a wish to the students to start the dialogue to discuss universal suffrage,” Leung told reporters, referring to one of the central issues in the confrontation: The process for how to elect Leung’s successor in 2017.
Leung’s announcement suggests a thaw in the three-week stand-off between Hong Kong’s government and the student protesters. Last week, the government called off planned talks with the protesters after the activists called on supporters to come back to the streets. But he continued to rule out any attempt to overturn – or even try to challenge – the Chinese Communist Party’s August ruling that provoked the protests.
Tensions between the two sides have ratcheted up over the past few days, as riot police with pepper spray and batons have moved to clear the demonstrators from the occupied streets of Asia's premiere financial center. China said the election would be open to all voters for the first time in Hong Kong’s history, but the choices on the ballot will be limited to those approved by Beijing. Among the qualifications: The candidates must “love China.”
The mass demonstrations, which have clogged highways and encircled government buildings, are the biggest challenge to China’s authority over the former British colony of Hong Kong since China took control of Hong Kong in 1997. The protesters are demanding reforms on how Beijing vets Hong Kong candidates for elections as well as the resignation of Leung, the current leader. “Politics is the art of the possible, and let me draw a line between the possible and the impossible,” Leung said, spelling out that questioning Beijing’s decision was not an option. “The central authority has said clearly that it will not retract the decision.”
Authorities launched an investigation on Wednesday into a television news video, which went viral on the Internet, that appeared to show police officers leading an activist around a dark corner, forcing the handcuffed man to the ground and repeatedly kicking him as he curled into a ball. “The most constructive thing the Hong Kong government can offer the students is sit down and listen to the students about what we can do together within the framework” of Beijing’s election rules, he said.
Outrage over the purported beating — following clashes between security forces and demonstrators — swiftly became a new rallying point for the protesters trying to remain on the streets, despite the increasing police crackdowns and a decline in numbers. Last week, the government called off planned talks after student leaders called for a rally at the protest site to coincide with the dialogue. Leung’s latest proposal may offer little room to ease the three-week standoff.
The TVB channel said the beating incident was filmed early Wednesday as police cleared a road tunnel near the main protest site. They arrested 45 protesters and used pepper spray on many others who refused to get out of the way. At least 10 protesters and five police officers were reported to have been injured in the clashes, the worst violence since police used tear gas on protesters more than two weeks ago. “All the protests would be for nothing, pretty much, if they can’t discuss the very thing they are protesting about,” said Michael Davis, a law professor at Hong Kong University.
But it was the video that dominated attention, provoking condemnation from protest leaders, pro-democracy legislators and human rights groups. It appeared to show seven police officers leading a protester away, before several of them kicked him as he lay on the ground for about four minutes. “We can’t even raise questions to the Beijing government?” he added. “What kind of autonomy is that?”
Several thousand people converged on the main protest site Wednesday evening to hear their leaders demand the arrest of the police officers and urge supporters to continue the struggle. Hong Kong was offered a “high degree of autonomy” by China after the 1997 handover from British rule. But critics say China is chipping away at the promise, and Leung is doing next to nothing to stand in the way.
The man in the video was identified as Ken Tsang Kin-chiu, , a social worker and member of the ­pro-democracy Civic Party. A photograph of Tsang was later released by activists, showing bruising around his face, neck and back. With the 2017 ballot stacked with pro-Beijing figures, it would be almost impossible for a pro-democracy candidate to win nomination. Students want the public to have the right to nominate candidates, but Leung says that would contravene Hong Kong’s mini-constitution or Basic Law.
Dennis Kwok, one of Tsang’s lawyers and a legislator from the Civic Party, said Tsang also bore several marks on his back consistent with beating by a police baton. Constitutional experts have proposed several compromises, including giving people the right to directly elect the nominating committee itself. But Leung has made it clear none of the alternatives can be explored.
“To be fair, most of the police have behaved with restraint since the Occupy Central movement began, but yesterday really shattered the image of the police,” Kwok said. “There is no denying that police have been handling a very difficult situation, but what happened to Mr. Tsang has no justification.” Another bone of contention is a “public opinion” report submitted in July by the Hong Kong government to Beijing. The document supported China’s rules for the election vetting.
The British Broadcasting Corp. said its Web site was blocked in China, hours after the video began circulating online. Protesters say the report grossly underplayed popular demands for genuine democracy, and have asked the government to consider submitting a supplementary report to Beijing explaining the opposition.
The Federation of Students called for the resignations of police commissioner Tsang Wai-hung and the officer in charge of Wednesday morning’s operation. Leung said the views of the people of Hong Kong had already been communicated to Beijing “very clearly.”
In a statement, the Hong Kong police said they were concerned by the video and would investigate in a “just and impartial manner.” Hong Kong’s secretary for security, Lai Tung-kwok, told a news conference the officers shown in the video would be temporarily removed from their positions. Throughout the crisis, critics have accused Leung and his officials of sounding more like envoys for Beijing than representatives of the people of Hong Kong.
In Beijing, the Communist Party mouthpiece, the People’s Daily, warned in a front-page commentary that democracy was “no excuse for turmoil” and that protesters’ attempts to force Leung to resign were “doomed to fail.” “That is exactly the heart of the problem,” said Davis. “That is why people here want genuine democracy — not that they want to confront Beijing, but they want a government that represents Hong Kong’s interests to Beijing.”
Leung suggested that students focus their efforts not just on the 2017 elections, but also on lobbying for change in the electoral system in subsequent elections.
“There are many years ahead for our young students,” added Raymond Tam Chi-yuen, the secretary for constitutional and mainland affairs. “In the fullness of time they should not just put all their focus on 2017. Maybe many of their aspirations can be addressed in future years as well.”
Tensions between the two sides have ratcheted up in the past days. Police used pepper spray during clashes with demonstrators on Wednesday morning and arrested 45 of them. Outrage also rose after a video, that went viral on the Internet, appeared to show police leading a handcuffed protester around a dark corner, forcing him to the ground and repeatedly kicking him.
Police said the seven officers involved in the incident had been suspended.
This week, police have been clearing barricades from major roads around the protest sites in order to reduce traffic congestion in Asia's premiere financial center. Protesters have responded by trying to erect new ones.
Scuffles broke out again early Thursday, with two more people arrested and further use of pepper spray by police.
The mass demonstrations, which have clogged highways and encircled government buildings, are the biggest challenge to China’s authority over the former British colony of Hong Kong since it took control in 1997.
Leung said efforts to clear more streets and “restore order” would continue — even while any talks take place.
Meanwhile, in an overlay of business and unrest, China’s biggest exporter of umbrellas — a symbol of the protests — has filed for an initial public offering in Hong Kong as it seeks to build a new factory and expand its output, the Reuters news agency reported.
The pro-democracy protest has been dubbed the “umbrella revolution” after demonstrators used them as shields against pepper spray. Jicheng Umbrella Holdings didn’t disclose the size of the planned deal.
Daniela Deane contributed to this report from London. Kris Cheng Lok-chit contributed from Hong Kong.Daniela Deane contributed to this report from London. Kris Cheng Lok-chit contributed from Hong Kong.