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Protesters gather in Mong Kok yesterday as some call for a different strategy. Photo: Edward Wong
Student leaders of the Occupy Central movement were last night plotting a possible strategy to get the dwindling hard core of protesters off the streets while retaining credibility by appearing not to have given up without a fight.
A well-placed source close to the Federation of Students said their call for people to come prepared for escalated action - possibly by blocking the entrances and exits to government headquarters - would force the police to make arrests, sending the signal to those less radical diehards still encamped in Admiralty that it was time to leave.
The strategy - which has not been finalised - flies in the face of the approach preferred by the core trio of older Occupy Central founders led by Benny Tai Yiu-ting, who plan simply to hand themselves in to the police in a bid to convince an increasingly sceptical public that they don't want to flout the rule of law.
The founding trio of Occupy, Tai, Chan Kin-man and the Reverend Chu Yiu-ming, are set to surrender to police on Friday after ditching a plan to do it today because "they want to stay until the end of the fight", according to a source close to that camp.
"The three co-founders once considered surrendering earlier than their scheduled date - December 5 - to avoid a confrontation, but in the end they scrapped the idea as others want them to stay until the end of the fight," the source said.
The student leaders, however, hope that being arrested amid a police crackdown on escalated action would prompt protesters to rethink how the movement should proceed.
"It is a common belief of organisers that it is time to get off the streets and take the campaign for democracy forward to a more sustainable format," said a source close to the inner core of the Federation of Students. "Surrounding government offices would prompt police to take action, and it is hoped that the protesters will start thinking about how to carry on the movement elsewhere, without occupying."
Federation of Students secretary general Alex Chow Yong-kang had earlier called on protesters to get back to Admiralty today with their "safety equipment" such as umbrellas and goggles. "It could be another turning point" for the movement, he said on Friday, without disclosing any concrete details.
Meanwhile, a group of journalists and members of the public filed reports at the police headquarters en masse yesterday regarding officers' recent alleged assaults on journalists.
The move by the members of five local journalists' groups came after a NOW TV engineer and an Apple Daily videographer were arrested while covering events at the Mong Kok protest site over the past week.
Other groups that also reported to the police collectively included the Hong Kong Journalists Association, the RTHK Programme Staff Union, Next Media Trade Union and Journalism Educators for Press Freedom.
Danny Mok, Tony Cheung, Phila Siu and Shirley Zhao
Police use pepper spray on pro-democracy protesters outside government headquarters in Tamar. Photo: Edward Wong
Students fought running battles with police outside government headquarters on Sunday night as Occupy protesters tried to storm the Admiralty compound and lay siege to Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's office.
Minutes after student leaders called on the thousands gathered at the Admiralty Occupy encampment, hundreds of protesters - wearing an assortment of hard hats and protective masks - thronged around government headquarters and Tamar Park and began trying to breach police lines at various points.
Police used pepper spray and baton charges to repel them, leaving some bloodied and requiring treatment by makeshift medics. Key areas of violence were Lung Wo Road and the walkways from Harcourt Road to government headquarters.
At the same time, fresh trouble flared in Mong Kok as police and protesters clashed, although the disturbances subsided after 10 or so minutes, leaving the situation tense.
The renewed violence came after police had earlier warned of resolute action to prevent any such blockade, while Federation of Students leaders told activists to avoid “giving the police a legitimate reason to take violent actions” as they stepped up the protests.
In a statement at 10.20pm, police “strongly condemned” the “unlawful assemblies in Admiralty for storming police cordon lines and obstructing roads”.
Vowing to use “suitable force resolutely”, they urged protesters to “stay away from radicals and troublemakers”.
Police issued a second statement an hour later urging organisers of Occupy to end their “illegal” actions.
A spokesman said the violent charging of police cordons had deviated from the movement’s non-violent principle as claimed by the organisers.
Police stand guard behind barricades at protest site in Admiralty. Photo: Dickson Lee
The Heads of Universities Committee last night to remain calm and be rational. “Please do not take part in any attack against the government headquarters,” it said in a statement. “Stay away from areas where there are clashes. Evacuate from the site immediately if your personal safety is in danger. Please contact your respective institution for help if needed.”
The escalation, rumoured for much of the weekend, was announced at 9pm on the main stage, when federation representative Nathan Law Kwun-chung urged people to head towards the government offices.
He said there would be a “long journey” through the night, and called on Hongkongers to “walk” with them.
Soon afterwards, supporters began streaming towards the government offices on Tim Mei Avenue. Soon after, police in riot gear raised warning signs in Tamar Park telling protesters to “stop charging”.
Hours earlier, police warned the public against attending a rally called by the federation in the protest zone.
About 3,000 officers were posted in Admiralty, with a further 4,000 in Mong Kok, where protests have continued despite the clearance of the main protest zone last week.
Describing the rally as posing an “extremely high risk”, Senior Superintendent Kong Man-keung of the police’s public relations branch warned the public against attending. He said student leaders had urged people to bring supplies to the site.
“I emphasise that if anyone obstructs the police in execution of their duty, charge the police line violently, or attempt to block the central government office, police will take resolute enforcement actions,” Kong said.
Oscar Lai Man-Lok, spokesman for student group Scholarism, said the crowd was the biggest in at least two weeks. He told protesters to stick to their non-violent principles and not to provoke or charge at police.
Among those present, there was support for the idea of stepping up the campaign.
Hin Kan, a university student, said he felt the night's action was "encouraging". "Unlike the guerrilla warfare in Mong Kok, we have here demonstrated a clear goal of blockading the government headquarters by storming the different access routes. This is a clear action demanding the government to respond to our call for universal suffrage."
"Maybe we will lose tonight, but the call for democracy had taken root in our hearts."
“The government has not responded to our demands yet, so we have to do something,” said Gary Wu, 24, an advertising worker.
“I support their plan to escalate their action ... But if it is to stop all civil servants from going to work, it will affect people’s livelihoods and I have reservations,” said another protester.
Kevin Suen, also a university student, said: “How ironic. Christmas lights are shining but here we stand fighting for universal suffrage.”
He said he was not afraid of the police. “Two months on, I’ve got used to the pattern. we advance, police use pepper spray or batons and we step back. Those behind then forward.”
Schoolgirl Fish Chan, 16, said she had attended despite being urged to stay away by her mother, who feared she would be hurt.
Earlier, a group of secondary school pupils staged a barefoot walk around the government headquarters. They knelt down after every 28 steps and walked around the buildings nine times to remember the police’s use of tear gas on September 28.
Secondary school students perform a barefoot "pilgrimage of suffering" to support the "Occupy Central" at the Admiralty protest site. Photo: Reuters
A former student leader exiled from the mainland after the bloody Tiananmen Square crackdown told RTHK today that he feared there would be bloodshed at the Admiralty rally.
In the event of violence, he said he would push for Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Leung to face an international court.
Speaking in Taipei in his capacity as chairman of New School for Democracy, he said the school and other human rights groups would consider attempting to get Leung tried at the Hague International Court of Justice for crimes against humanity.
"The violence the Hong Kong government used has already exceeded a standard acceptable in humanity," he said.
Wang has been exiled since the 1989 Tiananmen democracy movement ended in a bloody military crackdown.
A well-placed source close to the Federation of Students said their call for people to come prepared for escalated action - possibly by blocking the entrances and exits to government headquarters - would force the police to make arrests, sending the signal to those less radical diehards still encamped in Admiralty that it was time to leave.
The strategy - which has not been finalised - flies in the face of the approach preferred by the core trio of older Occupy Central founders led by Benny Tai Yiu-ting, who plan simply to hand themselves in to the police in a bid to convince an increasingly sceptical public that they don't want to flout the rule of law.
The founding trio of Occupy - Tai, Chan Kin-man and the Reverend Chu Yiu-ming - are set to surrender to police on Friday after ditching a plan to do it today because "they want to stay until the end of the fight", according to a source close to that camp.
"The three co-founders once considered surrendering earlier than their scheduled date - December 5 - to avoid a confrontation, but in the end they scrapped the idea as others want them to stay until the end of the fight," the source said.
Occupy Central co-founders Chu Yiu-ming, Benny Tai and Chan Kin-man. Photo: May Tse
The student leaders, however, hope that being arrested amid a police crackdown on escalated action would prompt protesters to rethink how the movement should proceed.
"It is a common belief of organisers that it is time to get off the streets and take the campaign for democracy forward to a more sustainable format," said a source close to the inner core of the Federation of Students.
"Surrounding government offices would prompt police to take action, and it is hoped that the protesters will start thinking about how to carry on the movement elsewhere, without occupying."
Federation of Students secretary general Alex Chow Yong-kang had earlier called on protesters to get back to Admiralty today with their "safety equipment" such as umbrellas and goggles. "It could be another turning point" for the movement, he said on Friday, without disclosing any concrete details.
Meanwhile, a group of journalists and members of the public filed reports at the police headquarters en masse yesterday regarding officers' recent alleged assaults on journalists.
The move by the members of five local journalists' groups came after a NOW TV engineer and an Apple Daily videographer were arrested while covering events at the Mong Kok protest site over the past week.
Other groups that also reported to the police collectively included the Hong Kong Journalists Association, the RTHK Programme Staff Union, Next Media Trade Union and Journalism Educators for Press Freedom.
Five journalists associations file reports to police collectively regarding the Occupy protest outside the police headquarters in Wan Chai. Photo: Sam Tsang
Meanwhile, a group of British lawmakers investigating the UK’s relations with Hong Kong have been told China will not allow them into the former colony, Agence France-Presse reported.
The Foreign Affairs Committee, a panel of lawmakers who scrutinise the Foreign Office’s work, is looking into Britain’s relations with Hong Kong 30 years on from the 1984 Joint Declaration, which set out the terms of the 1997 handover of Hong Kong.
Richard Ottaway, who chairs the cross-party panel, said he would on Monday call for an emergency debate in parliament on the situation.
The 11-member committee, which reports to the lower House of Commons, planned to visit Hong Kong before the end of the year as part of its inquiry.
“The Chinese government have, in past weeks and months, registered their opposition to the inquiry,” the committee said in a statement.
“I have been informed by the Chinese embassy that if we attempt to travel to Hong Kong we will be refused entry,” Ottaway said.
“We are a committee of elected members of parliament from a democratic nation who wish to scrutinise British diplomatic work in Hong Kong.
“The Chinese government are acting in an overtly confrontational manner in refusing us access to do our job. “I shall be asking the speaker tomorrow to grant an emergency debate on the floor of the house,” he said.
Earlier this month, the panel questioned Chris Patten, the governor who oversaw the transfer of Hong Kong from British to Chinese sovereignty.
He rejected Beijing’s assertions that Hong Kong’s political situation was no longer anything to do with London, citing binding agreements signed between the countries. “The Joint Declaration provides obligations on China to us for 50 years,” he said.
Re: China blocks bbc website after video shows hong kong police beating protester
PUBLISHED : Monday, 01 December, 2014, 3:24am
UPDATED : Monday, 01 December, 2014, 3:24am
Hong Kong is paying the price of protest
Alice Wu says however the Occupy protests end, Hong Kong has already lost a lot of time - and goodwill - in its reform challenge
Alice Wu
Only time will tell how much wiping out the little trust we had within the community, and between Hong Kong and Beijing, will cost this city. Photo: Reuters
When it comes to the challenge of electoral reform and Hong Kong's political development, the notion that "we can't afford to lose" may seem overused and, in a sense, insulting. We have already lost, each and every one of us. We've lost social cohesion and our sense of community. The "unfriending" frenzy on social media was only the tip of the iceberg.
Whether annihilating each other online has led to real-life segregation or vice versa is something for social scientists to figure out. What we must deal with now is how we can move forward. A needed public conversation about how we should elect our leaders was put off for so long that it has turned into grievous social discord. Healing will be difficult.
Some may consider that the occupied areas have formed a new community, but they are built on isolation and exclusion, at the expense of those who happened to be in the way, or who disagreed with the protesters. Those closed-off islands, with barricades to disengage from the rest of society, are, at their core, destructive and delusionary.
It goes against the democratic characteristics of inclusiveness and openness. The longer these closed-off communities are allowed to carry on, the more warped their occupants' worldview will become, and the stronger their sense of victimhood. Why else would the rest of us be so perturbed by some of their ideas about the rule of law?
Yes, those who exercise power have the responsibility to adhere to the highest level of self-restraint. But that's not to say that those with less power are entitled to act with no restraint and cherry-pick when it comes to the rule of law. It's ludicrous that what is arguably our strongest democratic feature - the rule of law - has been sacrificed in the name of democracy.
By far, though, it's the lost time that will prove the most costly. Had discussions about the next step - anticipated since the previous reform package was passed by the legislature and ratified by Beijing in 2010 - begun earlier than in December 2013, things might have been different. That delay cost us opportunities for engagement and dialogue. We could be arriving at a much better position than we are now.
Francis Lui Ting-ming, a professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology who founded the group Silent Majority for Hong Kong and who has tried to put a price tag on the Occupy movement, estimated that it may well have set back Hong Kong's political development by a decade.
Only time will tell whether wiping out the little trust that we had within the community, and between Hong Kong and Beijing, will cost this city so much. But a decade is a long time, considering that we've already used up 17 of the 50 years granted under the Basic Law.
Unfortunately, a pause in political development will affect all other areas. Time, unlike what student leader Joshua Wong Chi-fung claimed in his recent op-ed in The New York Times, isn't on his side. Before we can even begin to talk about the process of healing and reconciliation, we have these bills to pay.
Alice Wu is a political consultant and a former associate director of the Asia Pacific Media Network at UCLA
Posters saying "scrap the decision made by the Standing Committee of National People's Congress" are aligned in rows at occupied sites alongside yellow banners with the words "I want genuine universal suffrage".
The Beijing body's ruling means a maximum of three candidates - who must each secure support from at least half the nominating committee members - will be allowed to run for chief executive in 2017.
The stricter-than-expected decision is based upon the Hong Kong government's consultation report that took into account the views of the public and was submitted to Beijing in July. It has sparked a lawsuit and protests in which tens of thousands have taken to the streets to voice their desire to have a say in who those candidates will be.
Chief Secretary Carrie Lam. Photo: Nora Tam
With the "umbrella movement" taking over parts of Mong Kok, Admiralty and Causeway Bay, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said last month that the government would kick off the second round of political reform consultation by the end of the year.
This round will focus on working out the technical details of the election model within Beijing's framework. Pan-democratic lawmakers have said they will boycott it because there is nothing they can do within "such a restrictive outline".
Some protesters are also dismissive of the exercise.
"What the government concluded in the previous consultation was inaccurate and failed to reflect our voice," said Joe Chu, who has been camped out in Admiralty. "I believe the next consultation will be only a gesture," he said. "There will be no room for negotiation unless they make significant concessions - such as widening the voter base of the nominating committee extensively."
Dr Robert Chung Ting-yiu, the director of the University of Hong Kong's public opinion programme, said the administration's first consultation report misinterpreted public opinion and gave people an impression that it was drawing conclusions that Beijing wanted to see.
The report, a summary of the five-month consultation, sparked controversy by stating "mainstream opinion" was that the chief executive should be a person who "loves the country and Hong Kong" - a requirement not written in the city's mini-constitution known as the Basic Law and seen by some as a move to screen out pan-democrats.
The report also said "some" people had suggested capping the number of chief executive candidates at two or three.
The Occupy movement's organisers condemned the consultation report for misleading the National People's Congress Standing Committee.
They urged the government to submit a supplement report to the committee that would reflect calls for democracy as reflected in the results of Occupy Central's unofficial plebiscite in June and the annual July 1 march, from Victoria Park to Central, but their requests have been turned down.
Chung doubted the report's accuracy and urged the government to commission independent experts to analyse the opinions collected in future consultations - or at the very least seek their advice. "There would be no problem if the government was neutral," he said. "But on political reform, apparently it has already taken a stance."
No survey was cited in the report showing that Hongkongers preferred limiting the number of hopefuls to three, Chung said.
"How could the government draw such a conclusion?" he asked.
"If government is going to draw the same conclusion no matter what the citizens' views are … the credibility of consultation will be compromised and citizens might join the struggle as they feel their views are not respected."
A spokesman for the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau insisted that the report "truthfully and comprehensively" reflected views received from groups and individuals from various community sectors.
However, Chung also questioned the report's methodology.
The report cited eight surveys conducted by five organisations this year. Among them, Chung's public opinion programme at the University of Hong Kong and Chinese University's Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies were the only academic and what could be considered impartial bodies.
The rest - particularly the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Centre and Hong Kong Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (Provincial) Members Association - have a pro-Beijing background. Dr Thomas So Chi-ki, the chairman of the Hong Kong Research Association, is a delegate to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Without naming particular polls, Chung said: "If one or two polls quoted were far off the beam … the accuracy of the report would already be undermined."
The public would eventually lose faith in opinion polls if the government ignored those that were conducted conscientiously, he said.
A lawsuit filed by Cheung Chau island resident Kwok Cheuk-kin and being handled by barrister Martin Lee Chu-ming SC - a former lawmaker and founder of the Democratic Party - claims the consultation report is "seriously misleading" and "unfair to the public".
Chung hoped the court case would prompt the government to do a better job in the next round of consultation.
Dr Robert Chung. Photo: May Tse
The government should also lay out the "game rules", such as how it would weigh opinions canvassed via meetings with lawmakers, parties and organisations, written submissions and surveys before the next consultation starts, he said.
He believed this would help the government avoid unfairly giving more weight to opinions that support its agenda.
Professor Peter Yuen Pok-man, dean of the College of Professional and Continuing Education at Polytechnic University who has carried out various consultation projects for the government, agreed that a third party should be in charge of the next consultation exercise.
"Sometimes the government will ask a third party to do it while other times not," said Yuen, who was in charge of the West Kowloon project consultation commissioned by the government. "I wonder what their criteria are."
But lawmaker Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, who is also a member of the Executive Council, said the administration's consultation had already considered opinions from a variety of sectors and that it was impossible to pass on such an important job involving Beijing to a third party.
She defended the decision made by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress about the election process.
"Central government officials have come south several times. They also met pan-democrats in Shanghai and the pro-establishment camp in Shenzhen," she said. "Beijing is fully aware of Hongkongers' views, and it does not draw the blueprint simply based on the government's report."
Ip, also leader of the New People's Party, said Beijing's ruling could not be changed and called on the Hong Kong government to complete the second round of consultation within two months as "time is running out".
Students in an "ascetic walk" outside Legco. Photo: Edward Wong
Officials and pro-establishment politicians had urged student leaders not to escalate their campaign for democracy ahead of last night's mayhem in Admiralty, with one stressing that the government would continue to function even under siege.
"There have been occasions when large numbers of people have gathered around the government headquarters," Transport and Housing Secretary Anthony Cheung Bing-leung said. "But the government used all possible means to keep the offices operating as normal."
Cheung was speaking hours before student leaders announced at 9pm in Admiralty that the campaign would be escalated. Federation of Students representative Nathan Law Kwun-chung told the crowd to head for government headquarters, and police used pepper spray and batons on protesters in the ensuing clashes.
Earlier in the day, Education Secretary Eddie Ng Hak-kim urged the students to abandon their plan for escalation. Ng said: "I am worried that the situation could … spin out of control, so I hope they stop."
Food and Health Secretary Dr Ko Wing-man was concerned that people could get hurt, and if a number of people were taken to hospital at the same time it could put a strain on services at public hospital emergency rooms.
But he disagreed with Cheung on the impact of a potential blockade on government headquarters. Ko said: "I can tell the public for sure that [a siege] will definitely affect our efficiency."
Executive councillor Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee said the students risked losing their fight for democracy "if they lose public support", and that people were complaining about the disruption brought by the campaign. She added many protesters just "repeat what others say" and might not even understand the meaning of genuine universal suffrage.
The New People's Party founding chairwoman also dismissed the idea of imposing a curfew, saying it would affect businesses and Hong Kong's international image. Even if a curfew were imposed, she said, protesters would stay on the streets, leading to mass arrests.
Also speaking earlier yesterday, Wang Dan , a former student leader exiled from the mainland after the bloody 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, said he feared there would be bloodshed at last night's rally.
Separately, police said 38 men and four women had been arrested in Mong Kok since Friday. Some were arrested on suspicion of unlawful assembly and assaulting police officers.
Additional reporting by Phila Siu and Fanny W. Y. Fung
Student protest leaders (on left) and government officials during their inconclusive talks in Aberdeen in October. Photo: Sam Tsang
Hongkongers' views on how to achieve universal suffrage for the city's leader in 2017 must be heard despite pan-democratic vows to boycott the exercise, pro-establishment lawmakers say.
Determined to prepare for the government's upcoming consultation on political reform, Beijing-loyalist groups such as the Federation of Trade Unions and the New People's Party will reactivate their steering groups, while the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong could organise forums and polls to gather public opinion.
FTU lawmaker Wong Kwok-kin said the group was planning an extensive series of discussion sessions because they had to be accountable to residents.
"We have to show our sincerity and we won't be doing anything just because some said they will veto the government's reform package," he added.
On August 31, the national legislature ruled that while Hong Kong could pick its leader by "one person, one vote", only two or three candidates who secured at least half of a 1,200-strong nominating committee's support could run.
The decision played a key role in triggering the Occupy protests in September, with activists saying it would deprive voters of a genuine choice of candidates.
Pan-democrat lawmakers vowed to boycott the government's "meaningless" consultation exercise - which was expected to follow Beijing's ruling. But Wong suggested pan-democrats were being too pessimistic.
"If a candidate appears to be too pro-business, even if he can win enough nominations, he will definitely lose in the public election," he argued.
Wong believes discussion is needed to outline the details of the nominating and voting process. He said the FTU would assess the opinions of its 400,000 members - via a six-member task force that will soon be reactivated and which he will serve on - and come up with a proposal.
DAB chairman Tam Yiu-chung said his party had yet to decide on the details of its strategy, but was likely to include public forums and opinion surveys.
However, not all pro-establishment parties will be holding forums. New People's Party chairwoman Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee said she would mainly rely on "reactivating" her 11-strong study group of pro-establishment lawmakers and business leaders to come up with suggestions on electoral reform.
She said her party had already held a series of discussion sessions with different sectors during the government's five-month consultation earlier this year.
The study group, formed last December, came up with a proposal in April.
Its members included the party's vice-chairman Michael Tien Puk-sun and three non-affiliated lawmakers - Martin Liao Cheung-kong, Chan Kin-por and Tony Tse Wai-chuen.
"This upcoming consultation will mainly focus on the nominating process and procedural details, so we will discuss these topics," she said.
Ip said she was aware all this could be in vain if pan-democrats insisted on vetoing the government's eventual reform package. But she said she still hoped at least five pan-democrats would change their minds, to give the package a two-thirds majority in the Legislative Council.
"[I still believe] that universal suffrage would help to improve the mandate of the chief executive," she said.
Wong added that he believed the majority of Hongkongers wanted to be able to vote in 2017, and that pan-democrats should take note of that.
"They should know that it's stupid not to accept 'one man, one vote', because having millions vote is surely better than only having 1,200 voters," he said.
Fanny W.Y. Fung and Minnie Chan in Taipei and Zhuang Pinghui
Occupy Central indirectly contributed to the election victory of independent Dr Ko Wen-je (pictured) by inspiring Taipei students to support him, the mayor-elect's campaign chief says. Photo: EPA
Occupy Central indirectly contributed to the election victory of independent Dr Ko Wen-je by inspiring Taipei students to support him, the mayor-elect's campaign chief says.
While Saturday's ballots in Taiwan largely reflected public dissatisfaction with the Ma Ying-jeou administration, campaign director Wu Yen-hong said the Hong Kong movement did provide some motivation.
"We encountered some technical problems in the recruitment of volunteers at polling stations," he said.
"Before Occupy Central, more than 1,000 volunteers had signed up to help out outside polling stations. But later the Central Election Commission told us to find 1,583 people within five days to supervise vote-counting inside the stations. At that time we thought it was an impossible task for an independent candidate.
"But coincidentally, Occupy Central started in Hong Kong. We posted recruitment notices on the BBS [bulletin board system] of the National Taiwan University. Within just three days, our volunteer team expanded to 3,000-strong ... We feel there were mutual influences between Taipei and Hong Kong students."
A medical professor but novice politician, Ko defeated Kuomintang candidate Sean Lien Sheng-wen - a banker-turned-candidate and son of the ruling party's honorary chairman, Lien Chan - with 57 per cent of vote share in the capital city.
While Ko was helped by pan-green parties that agreed not to field a contender for the seat, Lien was backed by businessmen - many with mainland interests.
Experts said the KMT's humiliating defeat reflected Beijing's failure to sway voter opinions through the influence of business elites, which could prompt a review of policies towards the island and Hong Kong.
"Beijing has been using the same tactic to sway politics with business interests in both Hong Kong and Taiwan," said Lu Ping, a prominent Taiwanese writer and the island's former cultural envoy to Hong Kong.
The Occupy movement might have stimulated anti-Beijing sentiments among Taiwanese voters because they were now more aware of the mainland's hardline approach towards democracy campaigns in Hong Kong, she added.
" Fears that tomorrow's Taiwan will be like today's Hong Kong may have cost the Ma government many votes."
Liu Guoshen , head of Xiamen University's Taiwan Research Institute, said mainland observers might have to take a fresh look at Taiwanese politics, which used to be seen only as a rivalry between a pro-reunification "blue" camp and a pro-independence "green" camp.
"Many more voters now care more about justice and fairness than reunification or independence," Liu said.
"Beijing may enter a new era in handling Taiwan affairs… and to take more care of the interests of [Taiwan's] grassroots."
President Xi Jinping, Jack Ma and Joshua Wong are now officially finalists for the Time's annual "Person of the Year" competition.
What do President Xi Jinping, Alibaba's Jack Ma Yun and Hong Kong student leader Joshua Wong Chi-fung share in common? Congratulations! All three are now officially finalists for the US magazine Time's annual "Person of the Year" competition.
Time now allows readers to vote online as Xi, Ma and Wong are just the three Chinese nationals among 50 "Person of the Year" finalists from all over the world this year.
Wong, 18, who has recently been on the cover of Time and is widely considered the face of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement, is clearly the most controversial finalist, compared with Ma and Xi.
If you check mainland social media platforms like Sina Weibo, you will find Wong has been labelled a traitor, American spy, gangster, or worse. But in Hong Kong, he is widely recognised for his passion in fighting for freedom and democracy, not only for the Occupy protests but also for the movement against Beijing's efforts to brainwash Hong Kong students in 2012.
In my view, the three picks by Time reflect the very different thinking and ideology of Chinese society, which is generally getting more divided rather than united under Xi's leadership.
People just choose to believe in different things - money, power or the long-awaited "Chinese dream" by some, if not the entire nation, for freedom.
Ma, whose company Alibaba Group Holding this year pulled off the world's largest-ever initial public offering on Wall Street, is a representation of wealth, or the so-called "new money" class in the world's No2 economy. If you go to colleges on the mainland and ask the young who they want to be in the future, many will say they want to be Jack Ma. In other words, they simply want to be rich.
Xi, of course, means power but many Chinese, especially civil servants, are apparently getting bored with the endless power struggles these days due partly to Xi's anti-corruption campaign that some say has become more like a pro-Xi movement to get rid of his political rivals.
Corruption is undoubtedly bad but when you have a deeply corrupt system and graft is clearly already an institutional - not just individual - problem as it is in today's China, how many officials can you arrest? An anti-corruption campaign without challenging the deeply rooted systemic cause of corruption seems more like a political show to serve some special interests.
For Wong, there is of course still a long way to go. I may not agree with all that the student leader says or thinks about Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests, but I do admire his courage and passion for the city he calls home. For his courage and passion for democracy, I say he deserves to join Xi and Ma as finalists for "Person of the Year".
George Chen is the SCMP's financial editor and a Yale World Fellow. Mr Shangkong columns appear every Monday. Follow @george_chen on Twitter or visit facebook.com/mrshangkong
Police officers clash with pro-democracy protesters in Mong Kok. Photo: Edward Wong
It's open season suddenly on journalists covering the Occupy eviction in Mong Kok.
A technician carrying equipment for an iCable television news cameraman was arrested last week for assaulting the police, as was an Apple Daily photographer, who was put in handcuffs even after he showed his press card to prove his identity. Generally, my media colleagues and friends have reported that police have turned rough with frontline journalists recently. It's a sea change in attitude from the first month of the crisis when frontline police and reporters managed to cooperate mostly, or at least have a tacit understanding.
This is certainly unfortunate. Notwithstanding critics from the pan-democratic camp and those from overseas with their own agendas and preconceptions, our police have so far performed the gruelling and unrewarding task of controlling the protesting crowds and ensuring their safety in an honourable and exemplary way. Throughout the crisis, many have had to work long shifts while enduring constant verbal abuse and provocation from protesters.
Under such conditions, it's not surprising that some officers may start losing patience.
It's probably no coincidence that last week's rough treatment of journalists also saw the arrest of seven suspended officers alleged to have beaten Civic Party activist Ken Tsang Kin-chiu during clashes with protesters in Admiralty last month.
The alleged beating was captured by a TVB news crew. Many officers have, unreasonably, blamed the media for the arrested officers' woes.
As much as I support our police and admire their general discipline, the arrested officers have no one but themselves to blame. In any case, if police think some media coverage of their operations have been unfair, as arguably it has been with one or two newspapers, they should take it up with their top editors and owners. A news photographer or a TV technician are low down the news hierarchy and have little or no input in how the news is presented to the public. Like frontline officers, they too have to work long hours under very difficult conditions.
The media is not your enemy. But if you make an enemy of it, it will become one.
China refuses to let British lawmakers visit Hong Kong
Reuters
December 1, 2014, 6:25 am
Pro-democracy protesters block the road outside the chief executive office during a rally in Hong Kong, November 30, 2014. REUTERS/Bobby Yip
LONDON (Reuters) - British lawmakers will not be allowed to enter Hong Kong as part of an inquiry into Britain's relations with its former colony and progress towards democracy there, the head of a parliamentary committee said on Sunday.
"I have been informed by the Chinese Embassy that if we attempt to travel to Hong Kong we will be refused entry," foreign affairs select committee chairman Richard Ottaway said in a statement.
"We are a committee of elected Members of Parliament from a democratic nation who wish to scrutinise British diplomatic work in Hong Kong. The Chinese Government are acting in an overtly confrontational manner in refusing us access to do our job."
The committee is looking at Britain's relations with Hong Kong 30 years after it agreed terms for handing the city over to China, and at how those terms are being implemented.
News that the committee cannot visit comes as thousands of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong have clashed with police over the way the city's next leaders will be elected in 2017.
The Chinese embassy in London could not immediately be reached for comment.
Ottaway called for an emergency debate in parliament to discuss the matter.
Earlier this year, China asked parliament to shelve the inquiry, saying it would not allow foreign forces to intervene in its internal affairs.
(Reporting by William James; editing by Aidan Martindale)
OCCUPY CENTRAL - DAY 64: Joshua Wong announces hunger strike to call for talks with government
HKFS leader Alex Chow admits that escalation action was largely 'a failure'
Danny Lee, Danny Mok, Shirley Zhao, Chris Lau, Alan Yu, Ernest Kao, Tony Cheung, Emily Tsang
Alex Chow speaks to reporters on Monday. Photo: SCMP
Good evening and welcome to scmp.com's live coverage of Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests. Overnight, students gathered near government headquarters in a tense stand-off with police in which pepper spray and batons were used. Now Admiralty is under siege after students gathered there following a call from their leaders, vowing to escalate action shortly after the deadlocked protest entered its second month. Protesters are pushing Beijing for democratic reforms in the 2017 chief executive election.
11pm: Joshua Wong Chi-fung, convenor of the student activist group Scholarism, announced that he and two other members of the group would stage an indefinite hunger strike to call for open talks with Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor on political reform.
"Carrie Lam said earlier the door to dialogue was always open. Our humble demand is to ask for dialogue to discuss the possibility of withdrawing the current [reform] proposal and relaunch the five-step reform process," Wong said, adding that no other preconditions would be set for the talks.
Wong Ji-yuet, a form six student who plans to join the hunger strike, said the democratic movement had stagnated and she hoped the hunger strikes would apply pressure on the government to respond to the student group's demands.
9.30pm: Chaos broke out around the main stage in Admiralty when a masked group of people approached the stage and started removing metal barriers protecting it.
One man jumped onto the stage and refused to leave. He demanded student leaders come up to explain their actions yesterday, as the crowd grew emotional and called on him to get down. The stalemate continued for around five minutes. The man was dragged off the stage shortly afterwards by a group of unknown people.
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Student leaders bow in apology at the main stage in Admiralty. Photo: Dickson Lee
8.40pm: Speeches at the main Occupy stage in Admiralty kicked off 40 minutes late. A participant of last night's protests said it was time for protesters to reflect on a new strategy for the movement.
"When the police start beating people next to us, should we remain inactive and do nothing? We should help the others by at least protecting them from the beating, not just raising our hands," he said. He did not identify himself and spoke wearing a mask.
7.40pm: The Hospital Authority said that the number of people injured in pitched battles between protesters and police overnight and this morning had risen to 58.
Between 10pm last night and 2pm today, 58 people including 11 police officers had been sent to accident and emergency wards in Hong Kong, the HA confirmed.
Since the beginning of the Occupy pro-democracy movement on September 28, a total of 539 people, as of 2pm on December 1, have been sent to government hospitals with injuries sustained during protests.
Meanwhile, police have launched a probe into the theft of building materials, plastic barriers and tools from a construction site in Lung Wo Road near the junction with Tin Wa Road yesterday.
Police received a report from a site worker at about 9.30am. The stolen properties included 30 boxes of concrete columns and 50 plastic barriers. Police detectives are investigating but so far no arrests have been made.
7.10pm: Sunday nights’ move to escalate action was ultimately a “failure”, though responsibility for the scores of injuries rested solely with the police, student leaders said on Monday night.
Federation of Students Secretary General Alex Chow Yong-kang said last night’s escalation of protesters’ actions to surround government buildings had had some effect in pressuring the government as central government offices had been closed for half a day.
“But as a whole, it was a failure,” said Chow. “The whole plan did not achieve its objective of paralysing government.”
He blamed police for blocking the path of protesters as they attempted to go to the chief executive’s office from Tamar Park causing protesters to spill out onto Lung Wo Road.
In terms of what was next, Chow said students would discuss plans on whether to retreat or advance with protesters in the Occupy sites.
“It will be particularly serious for us in terms of how it will go on,” said Chow. “We believe occupation has its’ strengths and limits, but what we’ve underestimated is the strength of [the government’s] political power.”
Chow acknowledged there was a divergence in opinions in terms of strategy between different groups of protesters and there was “room for improvement”.
Many protesters blamed the students for failing to protect them and causing the casualties.
Commenting on the alleged beating of three police officers on Monday morning, Chow said police had taunted protesters and used violence against them.
Scholarism convenor Joshua Wong Chi-fung said police used unnecessary force and were to blame for the injuries caused to their “brothers in arms”.
“The biggest responsibility rests with the police,” said Wong. “To clear our protesters they could have carried them out as they’ve done in the past. Instead they used batons ... and pepper spray.”
Wong denied shirking away from the front line as he did not show up with protesters on Lung Wo Road.” If I were to be detained again in such a short period, I would be locked up ... Only to be released for my trial on January 14,” he said. “If I wasn’t constrained by my bail conditions, I would have stood at the front with everyone.”
6.30pm: Chief Superintendent Steve Hui Chun-tak of the Police Public Relations Branch said that the police respected the High Court’s decision on Monday to grant an interim injunction order to bar pro-democracy protesters from occupying areas in Admiralty and Central.
Hui said police would cooperate fully with the plaintiff, a listed bus company, and bailiffs in implementing the ruling – which covers Connaught Road Central, Harcourt Road and most of Cotton Tree Drive.
“Police will of course consider exercising other powers to restore public order,” Hui said, refusing to disclose whether there would be further action taken at the protest sites.
Police arrested 40 people in Admiralty and 12 people in Mong Kok during violent protests overnight and this morning which saw 17 police officers receiving injuries in the course of their duties.
Three police officers were attacked near the Admiralty Centre after coming off duty on Monday. One officer was knocked unconscious and remains in hospital for treatment. Hui says he did not know what the three officers had done to provoke the attack.
Asked whether the police would investigate the matter in which officers were caught provoking protesters by video swearing, making gestures and clapping as protesters were beaten, Hui said he welcomed the public to present evidence to them.
“It is not fair to comment on this before an investigation”, Hui said: “I wish the public would understand the difficulty in law enforcement during such complicated circumstances.”
5.10pm: Lawmaker and chairman of Labour Party Lee Cheuk-yan calls for more discussions on the Occupy movement's future plans, as protesters failed to escalate their actions in face of the police's tough stance to combat protests outside government headquarters last night.
"[Last night] showed that when protesters escalate their actions, police also escalate their violence," Lee says. "Because of such differences [in strength] ... it will be more difficult [for protesters] to remain peaceful and non-violent while escalating their actions."
4.40pm: The Hang Seng Index tumbled 2.58 per cent, or 620 points to 23,367.45, by close of trade on Monday, accelerating stock losses after lunch. Hong Kong’s main stock index opened lower following clashes overnight on Monday.
4.05pm: Police say they have arrested a 30-year-old man involved in an attack on four policemen in Admiralty this morning. Officers are searching for another two men aged between 30 and 40 in connection with the attack in the Admiralty Centre, police said.
The incident happened about two hours after police used batons, pepper spray and a high-pressure water hose to break up a protest in Lung Wo Road.
3.30pm: Alex Chow of the Hong Kong Federation of Students has branded the action overnight, which led to the arrest and injury of dozens of people, a success. “The government headquarters was paralysed this morning... to a certain extent, the goal of the action was achieved,” he told demonstrators in Admiralty today.
2.30pm: Chief executive Leung Chun-ying this afternoon urged occupiers to go home, saying the government did not want to be forced to clear the site.
In a speech he said: "We do not wish to arrest people in site clearance ... as they will have criminal records, which will affect their chances in studying and working overseas." He repeated his mantra that the government had been highly tolerant of the Occupy situation so far.
He said the tolerance of people in Hong Kong had reached its limit and again stated that people should not make the mistake of beliving police incapable of handling the protests. "Please do not take tolerance as incapability in handling the issue...do not think the police are weak," he said.
CY Leung, pictured today arriving at an official engagement. Photo: Nora Tam
CY Leung speaks at HK Economic Summit luncheon. Photo: Nora Tam
Meanwhile, Financial Secretary John Tsang warned today that Hong Kong’s economic growth for this year could be lower than the government’s earlier forecast of 2.2 per cent. He warned that the Occupy movement is harming the city’s image as an international financial centre.
2:20pm: Many government workers can be seen walking past City Hall and the PLA Barracks to get to work via Lung Wo Road and the entrance to the legislative buildings on Tim Wa Avenue. Two government security guards check IDs at a temporary checkpoint.
2pm: A lengthy statement has also been issued on behalf of the government, blasting protesters for their acts which "show blatant disregard for law and endanger public safety".
The Government spokesman reiterated that society would not accept the illegal acts of violent radicals who repeatedly pushed police officers and charged their cordon lines during scuffles last night and this morning. The spokesman added that these illegal acts have seriously disrupted public order and put the safety of police officers and protesters at stake.
During the jostling, the violent radicals deliberately threw objects including water bottles, helmets and pepper powder at the police officers. They also used strong flashlights against police officers and attacked them with fire extinguisher spray. The violent radicals repeatedly provoked and verbally abused police officers and continuously incited others at the scene to charge the police cordon lines. To prevent the situation from deteriorating, the Police took resolute action by using appropriate force to stop these illegal acts and disperse and arrest those involved. However, the radical protesters ignored repeated police appeals and warnings and continued to charge the police cordon lines. Eleven police officers were injured during the incident and 40 persons have been arrested so far. Further arrests will be made.
The Government strongly condemns the student groups for planning illegal assemblies and inciting protesters to charge towards the CGO repeatedly. The spokesman said a number of recent polls have revealed that the majority of the people hope that the protesters would leave the occupied sites as soon as possible and cease the blockades of roads. However, the relevant organisations went against the views of the majority and escalated the occupy actions, aggravating the damage to social order and sacrificing the overall interests of the Hong Kong people.
On claims by the student groups that the blockade of the CGO will continue until the Government responds to their demands, the Government has reiterated repeatedly that any discussion relating to constitutional reform must be guided by the Basic Law and the decision of the National People's Congress Standing Committee. Deliberate disregard for and distortion of these important legal principles through building castles in the air would only delay the constitutional and democratic development of Hong Kong.
1.55pm: Hong Kong's government posted this on their website - a statement by ExCo's non-official members:
The Non-official Members of the Executive Council seriously condemn the series of violent acts instigated by part of the protesters in the areas outside the Central Government Offices last night (November 30) and this morning (December 1). Members also condemn the organisers of these illegal activities for being irresponsible as they advocated public participation in these illegal activities, without regard to the safety of the participating public.
The ExCo Non-official Members call on protestors to stop blocking the access to the Central Government Offices immediately so that normal government operation could be resumed as soon as possible. They also call upon all protesters of the Occupy Central movement to leave the scene as soon as possible, in response to the wish of the great majority of the public to resume law and order in the city.
1pm: A fire at the PLA headquarters in Admiralty started in a kitchen exhaust duct, according to the Fire Services Department. Thirteen fire engines were sent to the scene just before 10am, but the fire had already been extinguished when they arrived. There were no reports of injuries and no evacuation was required.
12.55pm: It sounds like some protesters are getting despondent. An increasing number are telling the Post they will not resist police any more.
Terry Chan, 32, a clerk on his annual leave holiday, said he would not put struggle later this afternoon.
"Everyone is tired," said Chan. "There is no point in blocking the entrances when police can easily clear us out. We do not have the numbers anymore."
Emily Luk, 40, who has been supporting the students since the first night of occupation said the movement no longer had the numbers to hold down all the points and it was only a matter of time before police cleared the place.
Foon Hon, 20, a University of Hong Kong accounting student, said everyone was just waiting for police action.
"I support the students because I am one but I think preparation and planning for any sort of action must be better," he said. "Actions should not be taken if they are not meaningful."
Hon said the students had bungled the chance by being to idle early on in the movement, when morale was high.
12.15pm: Calm has descended on Admiralty for now, as protesters rest, with several telling the Post they have no intention of escalating action this afternoon.
"We don't have enough people," student Mo Lau, 19, said.
The Central Government Office will resume work this afternoon, the government has announced, and civil servants are expected to pour in to Admiralty after lunchtime.
Lau said there was no point attempting to bar civil servants from going to work after seeing the police arrangements this morning.
"Police can make it to the footbridge very quickly, and if we blocked the bridge, they would get involved," he says.
"But people will come tonight again after work," he adds.
Musician Felix Yung, 27, criticised organisers for flip-flopping.
Although not agreeing with the escalation of the protests he said he didn't think the Hong Kong Federation of Students and Scholarism were left with any choice.
Salesperson Jack Ng, 28, who calls the government authoritarian, said he was disappointed by the government's attempts at repressing protesters and branding them violent.
Police remove barriers blocking the road. Photo: Edward Wong
12.05pm: Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index plunged 1.9 per cent to 23,532.45 points this morning, following the clashes overnight. As of midday it had recovered slightly to remain 1.78 per cent down, at 23,559.56.
11.57am: The Secretary for Securit,y Lai Tung-kwok, condemns the storming action on Lung Wo Road.
Lai said the action organised by HKFS and Scholarism last night was organised and planned, as protesters formed barricades with metal barriers and pushed the line forward against the cordon. He said protesters intended to paralyse the operation of the government, which is intolerable.
The security minister said violent clashes were contrary to the slogan of "peace and non-violent” as stated by the organisers when the movement kicked off. “Batons and bricks were found in the bags of the protesters," Lai said.
11.50am: Here's a round-up of some of Post photographer Edward Wong's pictures of the clashes at Admiralty this morning.
A woman appears to faint at protests in Admiralty. Photo: Edward Wong
Officers on a footbridge at Tamar. Photo: Edward Wong
11.35am: Some facts and figures: Between 10pm last night and 8:15am today, 40 people have been sent to Accident and Emergency wards in Hong Kong, according to the Hospital Authority.
Since the beginning of the Occupy movement in late September until 8am today, a total of 518 people have been sent to the Accident and Emergency wards, the Government Information Service reports.
The injured were mostly sent to Kwong Wah Hospital in Yau Ma Tei and Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam.
11.25am: Police condemn protest organisers for inciting violence against officers during the siege of the government headquarters in the early hours of Monday.
Senior superintendent Tsui Wai-hung said at a press conference on Monday morning that the protests in Lung Wo Road were orchestrated by students.
"Around 9pm [Sunday], some student groups [in Admiralty] abet other citizens to siege the government headquarters," Tsui said.
He said later some protesters used loudspeakers to issue commands to other protesters who then charged on the police.
"The police strongly condemn the illegal assembly of participants for repeatedly ignoring police appeals, for their near-mobster behaviour and for their illegal occupation of roads," he said. He said these behaviour undermined Hong Kong's law and order.
11.05am: Three protesters are back at the recently-cleared Tamar Park pitching tents.
Diehard protesters pitch new tents hours after police clear Tamar Park. Photo: Alan Yu
10.40am: We're getting unconfirmed reports of a fire at the PLA HQ in Hong Kong. This picture has been posted on Twitter. We'll get you an update on this as soon as we have one.
10.35am: The police have completely cleared tents from Tamar Park. It's obvious where the tents used to be because the grass beneath has died in neat squares. Judging from the marks, around 30 tents of various sizes were removed.
The scene at Tamar after police cleared tents. Photo: Alan Yu
Tents have been removed from outside the government buildings today. Photo: Alan Yu
The police have piled the tents, umbrellas and other debris in a heap outside the entrance to the chief executive's office on Tim Wa Avenue. A truck with a portable crane is scooping up the collected tents and belongings. Cleaning crews are also picking up trash from Lung Wo Road, where traffic has resumed.
As of 10.27am, the sidewalk on Lung Wo Road is sealed off near the chief executive's office.
Emotions run high at Tamar. Photo: SCMP
10.20am: These pictures just in give a flavour of what's going on around the government buildings in Tamar:
A police officer sprays a substance at protesters in Tamar. Photo: SCMP
Clashes near Hong Kong's government buildings. Photo: SCMP
10am: Another disgruntled protester voices doubt over the latest call to arms from the Hong Kong Student Federation: "Some people are very frustrated that they are being led [by the student federation] to occupy roads only to allow police to beat them up and push them back out," said protester Declan Siu, 23, a part-time student studying in Australia and back for summer holiday.
"Any social movement must keep on escalating or it will die."
"But Siu said he himself was very conflicted and could not decide if retaliating against police was the right thing to so.
"That's the thing about civil disobedience, nobody really understands the concept that well," he added. "But I don't agree that they should be putting the blame on and scolding the students.”
9.50am: Here's what we're seeing at Admiralty, where violence has flared at the MTR station. The entrance to Admiralty Shopping Centre is now blocked.
Ariel view of the standoff in Admiralty. Photo: Chris Lau
9.40am: Music teacher Derek So describes the water-splash device as one similar to a "water hose used by firemen and marine police".
"It shot out pressurised [liquid] and the [liquid] fell on people," the 23-year-old says.
He adds: "Everyone left immediately without putting up a fight."
Another protester Suen, 21, recalls the hose was yellow in colour and that he spotted it as early as 3am near the Central Government Office.
"It was on the floor, and I saw it being picked up," the student says, but adds he did not witness police using it.
9.15am: Three suspected undercover police officers carrying Hong Kong police badges and batons, are chased towards the exit of Admiralty MTR station through Admiralty Centre.
Protesters chase after them before the officers lead a baton charge, pinning down around six or seven protesters. One officer is knocked out almost cold. Protesters chant: “Put away batons!” before arrests are made. The knocked out police officer is stretchered onto an ambulance.
A man, believed to be a police officer, is stretchered out of Admiralty MTR. Photo: Ernest Kao
9.05am: Police guarding Lung Wo Road on Legislative Council Road retreat. Metres away, the entrance to Tamar Park also reopens, with protesters given access to the park again.
9am: Terry Kwan Yin-cheung, 18, a first year philosophy student at Lingnan University, tells our Post reporter: "I feel very confused right now because we expected something big but not what happened last night and now we are in a dilemma."
"We cannot get inside the legislative council or outside the Chief Executive's office. We just sit here on the road [Harcourt] and defend ourselves against the police. This is not what I thought would happen last night.
"I thought that when HKFS called us out last night using their trust, to call to Admiralty to help put pressure on the government, and I see that the government have no response and we now back to old times."
A protester appears to have been injured. Photo: SCMP
8.40am: Tensions rise as protesters begin bickering amongst themselves, with some becoming openly hostile. Many say they are disappointed with the students' leadership of the failed occupation of Lung Wo Road and siege of government complex.
At least one helmet and beer can is thrown at the students by angry fellow Occupy protesters as they discuss the next step at the main stage.
"All you do is grab the stage and chant slogans. We've listened to this crap for more than 60 days," shouted one masked protester at the students. "If you don't have the heart to go on then leave. It's either we grab our tools now or go home!"
Another protester says he had "many brothers injured" because students refused to let them retaliate and throw objects at police to prevent them from advancing.
"If you want us to help surround [government buildings] we will. Don't teach us how to do it and what we can't do," another protester said. "Just tell us the plan and let the citizens take care of it."
Federation of Students representatives try to calm them down saying it is pointless to attack police and give them an excuse to escalate action.
Protesters are pictured reinforcing the barricades at the bottom of escalators near government headquarters.
Barricades are reinforced at Tamar. Photo: SCMP
A crowd of protesters rallies on Connaught Road outside the Central Government Office. Photo: May Tse
8.30am: A police source confirms that hoses were used for the first time to "cause discomfort" in the hope that the protesters will leave. The fresh water, tapped from fire hose by police, was aimed in the air, not at people, the source says. Television images show it was used at the junction of Tim Wah Avenue and Lung Wo Road at 7am.
8.20am: Yany Yan-yin Tse, a 24-year-old student at the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, claims she has witnessed police officers using violence against women. In tears, she says: "I saw the police beating up women (sic). She was by herself, and they had her held down but kept beating her. There were three or four policemen around her swinging their batons so no one could rescue her. She was crying for help.”
Here are some more pictures from overnight:
Students in a tunnel at Tamar. Photo: SCMP
Police try to move protesters away from the government buildings. Photo: SCMP
8.15am: Tension appears to have eased on Legislative Council Road, as protesters who previously pushed back from Lung Wo Road sit down in a standoff with the police. The entrance to Tamar Park near the rear gates of Legco is still blocked by police officers wearing helmets.
8am: Police force protesters previously occupying roads around the government headquarters and blocking a main staff entrance back to their original protest site on Harcourt Road. Tensions remain high as police taunt protesters by clapping and laughing at them from the bridge above Harcourt Road. Protesters respond by jeering and swearing at them.
7.45am: A protester with a megaphone implores police: "Stop pushing or else you'll push citizens down the stairs. Please stay calm." Government staff at Tamar are advised not to go to work this morning in an announcement made at 7am by the government which stated offices would be temporarily closed due to access roads being blocked.
Message announcing the government has closed its Tamar offices
7.30am: Tensions flared overnight after hundreds of students faced off with police outside Legco. at 7.10am police dismantled the barricades set up by protesters on both ends of the Lung Wo Road tunnels and chased protesters back onto Tim Mei Road. Officers, armed with helmets, shields and batons, formed a standoff against hundreds of protesters outside the legislative council. Protesters shouted: "Don't do anything. We are all Hongkongers." Police officers then shot back: "Then why do you insult the police?"
7.25am: Police move to secure the walkways joining the Central Government Office and Admiralty. Meanwhile, a yellow truck drives past the reopened Lung Wo Road, followed by a school bus, escorted by police motorbikes.
Police officers in a standoff at the footbridge near Legco. Photo: Danny Lee
Here's how the South China Morning Post reported events through the night:
Students fought running battles with police outside government headquarters on Sunday night as Occupy protesters tried to storm the Admiralty compound and lay siege to Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's office.
Minutes after student leaders called on the thousands gathered at the Admiralty Occupy encampment, hundreds of protesters - wearing an assortment of hard hats and protective masks - thronged around government headquarters and Tamar Park and began trying to breach police lines at various points.
Police used pepper spray and baton charges to repel them, leaving some bloodied and requiring treatment by makeshift medics. Key areas of violence were Lung Wo Road and the walkways from Harcourt Road to government headquarters.
John Tsang warned that the Occupy movement is harming Hong Kong's image as an international financial centre. Photo: Simon Song
Hong Kong's economic growth for this year could be lower than the government's earlier adjusted forecast of 2.2 per cent, the financial chief warned yesterday, as retail sales growth in October also slowed.
Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah issued the warning after Occupy Central protesters escalated their actions and attempted to lay siege to the Chief Executive's Office.
Meanwhile, the Census and Statistics Department announced yesterday that retail sales in October rose 1.4 per cent compared to the same month last year. The year-on-year rise in September was 4.8 per cent.
"I am worried that, as the protests and political disputes go on, the consumer market will be further affected, and that the business environment will become more unstable," Tsang said.
In August, the government predicted real gross domestic product growth for the year of 2 to 3 per cent. That forecast was adjusted to 2.2 per cent last month.
But Tsang said yesterday that, amid continued uncertainty, there is a risk the figure could be even lower. The economy grew 2.7 per cent in the third quarter.
Although the Hong Kong Tourism Board's October figures showed that the number of visitors actually rose 12.6 per cent, with tourists from the mainland soaring by 18.3 per cent, Tsang pointed out there had been dips in the number of visitors from other countries.
Tsang stressed he was "definitely not scaremongering" about the Occupy movement's impact on the economy.
He also said that while the economies in Europe and Japan were still a worry, the US was recovering and the mainland has been growing steadily.
Property transactions in the first 10 months of this year reached 5,700 a month on average, up 25 per cent on last year, he said. Property prices also rose 10 per cent in the first 10 months.
Paul Tang Sai-on, chief economist of the Bank of East Asia, forecast economic growth of 2.1 per cent this year. He said mainland tourist numbers were up in October probably because some booked their trips and hotels before Occupy started.
But Andy Kwan Cheuk-chiu, director of the ACE Centre for Business and Economic Research, forecast that the growth would not dip below 2.2 per cent.
In the wake of Tsang's remarks, the Hang Seng Index closed at 23,367, down 620 points or 2.58 per cent. China's official Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) slipped to 50.3 in November from October's 50.8.
The suspected policeman lays one the ground after a sustained beating by protesters. Photo: SCMP Pictures
Violence erupted in Admiralty on Monday morning following students’ attempts to storm government headquarters, with at least one suspected undercover police officer rushed to hospital after he was beaten and kicked by students.
The chaotic brawl, captured on camera by the South China Morning Post, began at around 9am, an hour after police had repelled protesters’ attempts to storm government headquarters with pepper spray and batons.
The atmosphere in the area was tense as angry students exchanged taunts with police officers standing on an overhead footbridge on Harcourt Road before uniformed police moved back to Lung Wo Road.
An argument broke out between at least three suspected plain-clothes officers and protesters. More than a dozen students gave chase and attacked the three suspected policemen when one of the officers appeared to signal with two fingers for them to approach as they walked into Admiralty Centre.
The Post’s video captures the scene inside the building, where a crowd of some 200 protesters and journalists had surged towards the chaotic scenes. The footage shows one suspected policeman on the ground with several protesters appearing to attack him.
At this point another of the suspected undercover policemen retrieves a baton from his bag and uses it to create distance between himself and the demonstrators, threatening to hit anyone who does not back away.
The video then shows the officer being surrounded by protesters, before panning to the policeman on the ground, who appears to be semi-conscious. Some try to revive him. The policeman quickly regains consciousness and picks up what appears to be an identification card.
The suspected policeman lays one the ground after a sustained beating by protesters. Photo: SCMP Pictures
The presence of the baton further agitated the crowd and the camera then pans back to the policeman who was previously seen holding it. He is being swarmed by protesters who have him in a chokehold, pushing, shoving and hitting him as other demonstrators try to get him out of the way.
As one protester grappled to remove the weapon from the officer, another policeman stumbled on some steps and was crushed.
Around five minutes after the fight broke out, police reinforcements arrived and further chaos ensued as tactical support officers, armed with helmets, shields and pepper spray, charged in to rescue their suspected colleagues.
Officers struggled to gain control and tensions mounted as a bottle of water was thrown from the direction of protesters at the police, who charged back at the crowd, knocking people over in a bid to secure the area.
Protesters chanted: “Put away batons!” before several arrests were finally made.
At least one protester was rushed to hospital by ambulance along with the suspected policeman.
Christmas shoppers were thin on the ground in Pacific Place yesterday. A spokeswoman for owner Swire Properties admitted the protests had affected business. Photo: Felix Wong
Retail sales value at the Pacific Place mall, located next to the Occupy Central site in Admiralty, dropped 46 per cent in October compared to the same period a year earlier, according to a tenant who received information from the mall's management.
This came as the Census and Statistics Department announced yesterday that the city's retail sales value in October rose 1.4 per cent year-on-year, despite a previous warning from the Retail Management Association that there might be no growth in retail sales for the month.
"Mall sales at Pacific Place were down 46 per cent year-on-year," said Chiara Scaglia, Asia-Pacific managing director of La Perla, an Italian lingerie brand, which opened a store in the upscale mall in July.
"In my opinion, it's because the [Occupy] protests … created a lot of traffic jams, which made access inconvenient rather than impossible."
A spokeswoman for Swire Properties, owner of the mall, refused to confirm the tenant's remarks but admitted "there has been an impact on our business at Pacific Place".
She also said that the impact on sales volume varied from market to market, with high-end luxury products targeting tourism tending to experience a bigger impact.
"We believe the effect of [Occupy] is short term," she added.
Separately, official figures showed the city's overall retail sales value in October rose to HK$38.3 billion. It went up 4.8 per cent in September.
After correcting for the effect of price changes over the same period, the volume of total retail sales in October rose 4.3 per cent year-on-year.
Sales for electrical goods and photographic equipment went up 23.6 per cent. Other consumer durable goods including smartphones went up 67 per cent, and medicine and cosmetics rose 7.6 per cent.
Jewellery, watches and clocks, and valuable goods went down 11.6 per cent, while clothes sales saw a decline of 8.8 per cent.
People queue up on the first day of sale for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus outside Studio A in Tsim Sha Tsui on September 19. Photo: Sam Tsang
Caroline Mak Sui-king, chairwoman of the retail association, said the October figure was still bolstered by sales of the iPhone 6, which came out in mid-September. She believed the November figure could be better because tourists now knew how to avoid conflict areas in Admiralty and Mong Kok.
Mariana Kou, investment analyst at equity broker CLSA, said the retail market was significantly affected by the Occupy movement. The number of mainland tourists to the city was high because many tour groups were booked and paid for in advance, Kou added.
C.Y. Leung issues strongest warning yet to Occupy Central protesters
Citing Chinese saying on limits to tolerance, chief executive tells protesters that stand-offs by police at sit-in sites are not sign of weakness
Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying has issued his strongest warning yet about clearing the nine-week-old Occupy Central protest sites, hours after overnight clashes between police and pro-democracy protesters who laid siege to government headquarters in Admiralty.
Leung yesterday cited a Chinese saying, "if this can be tolerated, what cannot?", adding that because police had not yet taken action to clear some areas, it was not because they were incapable or a sign of weakness.
The administration issued a statement condemning "violent radicals" who repeatedly stormed government headquarters and charged police lines.
Leung also said there growing calls from the public for sites to be cleared. "Many residents are of the view that there is a limit to their tolerance," he said.
The Causeway Bay sit-in, outside Sogo department store near Yee Wo Street, is the police's next clearance target after Mong Kok, a police source said. They would then close in on the Admiralty zone, in an operation also planned for this month.
Student groups that had incited people to charge the premises on Sunday night admitted they had failed. They would now hold discussions with protesters on the way forward.
Last night Joshua Wong Chi-fung, convenor of student activist group Scholarism, said he and two other group members would stage an indefinite hunger strike to call for an open dialogue with Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor over the relaunch of political reform.
The protests had interrupted government operations in the morning, with a number of meetings changing venue and some civil servants not being able to get to work, but normal operations had resumed by the afternoon.
Federation of Students' secretary general Alex Chow Yong-kang conceded "the plan did not achieve its original objective in the end, which was to paralyse government".
The overnight drama began with the federation and Scholarism urging protesters to gather at the Admiralty encampment on Sunday night. Throughout the night, hundreds of protesters tried to breach police lines near the government complex. Officers used batons, pepper spray and high-pressure water hoses to repel them, and managed to reopen blocked roads the next morning. Police said 40 people were arrested in the commotion.
Last night the Hospital Authority said that between 10pm on Sunday night and 2pm yesterday, 58 people, including 11 police officers, were sent to accident and emergency wards.
Twenty-three of the city's 27 pan-democratic lawmakers called on student leaders to stop intensifying their action to avoid more people getting hurt.
Leung said the government did not want to clear the sites unless it was "absolutely necessary".
"We do not want to arrest people, particularly young people and students … as that will leave them with criminal records, which will affect their chances of studying and working overseas."
Professor Lau Siu-kai, vice-chairman of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, described the latest protest escalation as "self-destruction" of the protest leaders.
Lau warned that the radical action would spark an "authoritarian backlash" and regression of democratic development.
In the High Court yesterday, a judge granted cross-border bus company All China Express an interim injunction to clear a section from Connaught Road to Cotton Tree Drive in the Admiralty-Central protest area.
The police source said hundreds of officers were gearing up to act on the rally zone near Sogo next week at the earliest, and would help bailiffs enforce yesterday's injunction in Harcourt Road after that.
Gary Cheung, Clifford Lo, Danny Lee, Tony Cheung, Ernest Kao, Elizabeth Cheung, Julie Chu, Shirley Zhao and Alan Yu
I believe most Hong Kong teenagers, when face with an increasing prospect of living like caged animals and worse lives than parents, will not fear death in fighting for their rightful democratic rights:
