HONG KONG: Small knots of pro-democracy demonstrators remained on Hong Kong’s streets yesterday after protest leaders agreed to talks with the government. Talks between the government and student leaders are progressing at a snail’s pace, although even protest leaders are now acutely worried that further disruption could alienate supporters.
The mass protests for fully free elections have brought parts of the city to a standstill for more than a week, and while many in the city remain supportive of the movement, they also want to resume their daily lives.
A second round of “preparatory talks” was held late Monday night in a bid to set conditions for formal negotiations.
Students had already agreed to talks with Chief Secretary Carrie Lam but called them off on Friday after what they described as “organised attacks” on protesters at the Mong Kok demonstration site.
“We will have multiple rounds of negotiation,” said Lester Shum late Monday, deputy secretary general of the Hong Kong Federation of Students (HKFS).
Yesterday saw another day of traffic mayhem, with diversions still in place causing nose-to-tail jams and commuter frustration, truncated bus routes and the reopening of primary schools adding to the chaos.
The few protesters that remain are still determined to make their point -- although they are unsure of the result.
“To be honest, I don’t have confidence that we can succeed. But whether we succeed or not, I am giving my best. I also learned that we can speak out when it is needed,” said Dickson Yeung, 20.
“I still have hopes that we can achieve our goal of having true democracy,” said May Lim, a 19-year-old university student.
AFP
