About 200 Hong Kong protesters marched to the home of Beijing-backed Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying (梁振英) yesterday to push their case for greater democracy a day after talks between student leaders and senior officials failed to break the deadlock.
Others continued to occupy main streets in the Chinese-controlled territory, where they have camped for nearly a month to protest against a Chinese government plan that would give Hong Kongers the chance to vote for their own leader in 2017, but tightly restrict the candidates to Beijing loyalists.
A wide chasm separates the protesters and the government, which has labeled their actions illegal and repeatedly said their demand for open nominations is impossible under the laws of the former British colony.
Photo: AFP
“I’m here hoping the government will listen. If they don’t listen, we will come out again and again to fight for our basic, grassroots nomination right,” said protester Wing Chan, who took part in the march.
Expectations had been low for a breakthrough in Tuesday’s cordial, televised talks, which pitted five of the city’s most senior officials against five tenacious, but poised student leaders wearing black T-shirts.
Protesters were unhappy about what they felt was a lack of substantive concessions.
“I think it is time to seriously consider escalating the movement,” 19-year-old college student Andy Lau said.
Demonstrators marching to Leung’s home repeated calls for him to step down. Many were angry at remarks he made this week that more representative democracy was unacceptable in part because it would result in poorer people having more say in politics.
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