‘HIGH-STAKES POKER GAME’
Protesters aren’t backing down in Hong Kong — neither is the government.
Protesters repeated their warning: Resign by Thursday midnight, or they would storm the barricades and seize this city’s seat of power, the office of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying.
Unreasonable? Of course. No one expected capitulation from a man as powerful as Mr. Leung. He has an entire city apparatus behind him and more than that, he is backed by China’s central government in Beijing.
But just minutes before midnight, Mr. Leung did offer something. Not a concession, but at least a discussion.
“I will not resign,” he told reporters at his official residence, Government House.
He added his chief secretary, Carrie Lam, will be available for formal talks with protest leaders. But he offered no specifics and gave no timeline.
Significantly, Mr. Leung added his administration would continue to tolerate the demonstrations. Police would not intervene, unless protesters tried to occupy government buildings or resorted to violence.
Ms. Lam stood by and said nothing while Mr. Leung spoke. They took no questions. Then, they turned from the podium and walked out of the room.
The question now: Will this take the wind out of the protesters sails? Will they lose interest and drift away?
No one predicted the student-led pro-democracy movement would gather the momentum and gain the attention and support it did this week.
The crowds are armed with umbrellas, cellphones, loud voices. But they have been growing in number and their resolve is strong.
They also have won the world’s sympathy, largely because of events Sunday. Police used tear gas and pepper spray on the unarmed protesters.
But the reason for the protests remains unchanged.
Last month, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee said Hong Kong voters would be able to choose Mr. Leung’s successor, the next chief executive, in an election scheduled for 2017. But only from a list of candidates handpicked by Beijing.
This infuriated residents, especially the territory’s forward-looking youth. They say Beijing has reneged on promises it made when the British returned Hong Kong to China in 1997.
Several protest groups sprang up quickly, leading to clashes with authorities and Sunday’s tear-gassing.
There have been mass dem- onstrations every day since, at key points around the city, on Hong Kong island and across the harbour in Kowloon.
“It’s turning out to be a high-stakes poker game. The stakes are rising,” Willy Lam, a politics professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong told The Associated Press.
Demonstrators are continuing to practise restraint. They also appear capable of maintaining the blockades on city thoroughfares and commercial streets.
But seizing government buildings is a different matter. Authorities took seriously threats protesters would force their way into the Chief Executive Office (CEO) building on the waterfront.
Thursday afternoon, in sweltering heat, police hauled crowd-dispersal equipment behind barriers erected outside the building
The clock ticked down. A crowd of several dozen gathered outside. By dusk it had swelled to several thousand.
At 9:45 p.m., police released a statement, warning protesters “not to charge against CEO” and cordon lines.
“Police emphasize that that is unlawful behaviour. If they refuse to comply with police advice and warnings, police will take resolute enforcement actions.”
Then came Mr. Leung’s statement.
Outside the CEO, the crowd absorbed his words. People milled about, talking things over, waiting for directions from their de facto leaders.
Occupy Central with Love & Peace, one of the main protest players, welcomed the news of a meeting.
But it added: “We reiterate our view that Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying is the one responsible for the stalemate, and that he must step down. In order to achieve real universal suffrage, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee must withdraw its decision on Hong Kong’s political reform.”
In other words, continued unrest. The demonstrations will continue Friday morning. Peaceful protests, the city hopes.