Hong Kong protesters continue occupation of roads
6 Dec HMV News
Anti-election law protesters in Hong Kong have decided to continue
with their occupation of main roads as they demand electoral reform.
The announcement came despite the fact that the three leaders of
Occupy Central protest group turned themselves in to the police on
Wednesday in a symbolic move to get protesters off the streets.
The rallies in Hong Kong to protest against an election law
introduced by the Chinese government drew tens of thousands at their
height. However, numbers have decreased as public support for the
movement has diminished.
“There needs to be a decision that is made about whether to leave or
stay,” said Yvonne Leung Lai-kwok, of the Hong Kong Federation of
Students, which has led the mass street protests, adding, “Within a
week's time, we definitely will have to have a decision.”Under the
election law, the people of Hong Kong will have to elect their next
leader from a list of Beijing-vetted candidates in 2017.The protesters
demand that the Hong Kong government abandon plans to allow China to
monitor nominations for the city's next chief executive.
Back in August 2014, China ruled that voters in Hong Kong will only
have a choice from a list of two or three candidates selected by a
nominating committee.Protesters say China will use the committee to
screen out candidates of which it disapproves.Hong Kong is a special
administrative region of China.
The financial hub has enjoyed substantial political autonomy since
1997, when its leadership returned to China after about a century of
British colonial rule. |