La "Revolucion de las Sombrillas" en Hong Kong

Asia-Pacific
Police arrest hundreds at Hong Kong rally
More than 500 demonstrators demanding Beijing allow free election of territory's next leader detained during sit-in.
Last updated: 02 Jul 2014 14:45

More than 500 protesters at a Hong Kong sit-in have been arrested after police moved in to break up the rally which organisers said saw a turnout of more than half a million.

The protesters had staged a sit-in on Tuesday on a street in the city's Central district and pledged to stay until 8am (0000 GMT) the next morning.

But just after 3am on Wednesday police began to move in and load the protesters onto coaches.

Those who were removed were taken to a police college in the south of Hong Kong, according to the South China Morning Post newspaper.

The confrontation followed a largely peaceful rally on Tuesday, which organisers said was a record turnout and the largest since the city was handed back to China in 1997.

Waving colonial-era flags and chanting anti-Beijing slogans, protesters demanded democratic reforms, reflecting surging discontent over Beijing's insistence that it vet candidates before a vote in 2017 for the semi-autonomous city's next leader.

'Illegal' vote

The rally came after nearly 800,000 people took part in an informal referendum calling for voters to be allowed a say in the nomination of candidates.

Beijing branded the vote "illegal and invalid".

Despite soaring humidity and rainstorms, swarms of protesters poured onto clogged streets through the afternoon and evening, marching from Victoria Park to the Central business district.

They carried banners emblazoned with slogans, including "We want real democracy" and "We stand united against China".

"There is a strong desire for genuine democracy that offers choice and competition without [political] vetting," Anson Chan, a former number two official in Hong Kong who is now a pro-democracy activist, said on Tuesday.

The chairman of the Hong Kong post office union, marching in the muggy heat, said the city's government was kowtowing to Beijing.

Conciliatory note

Leung Chun-ying, the territory's chief executive, sought to strike a conciliatory note, saying his government would do its utmost to forge an agreement on implementing universal suffrage.

He offered no details on the 2017 election when he spoke at a ceremony earlier on Tuesday marking the 17th anniversary of the city's handover.

The poll, which ended on Sunday, gave three options for the election of the city's next leader - all of which included the public having some influence on the selection of candidates.

China has promised to let all Hong Kong residents vote for their next leader in 2017 - currently a 1,200-strong pro-Beijing committee chooses the city's chief executive.

But it says candidates must be approved by a nomination committee, which democracy advocates fear will mean only pro-Beijing figures are allowed to stand.

Bright Lights, Big Problems: China's Hong Kong Dilemma

Hong Kong's democracy movements seem to be at odds with what Beijing has planned for the former British colony. Is a compromise possible?


Robert Keatley

July 2, 2014
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HONG KONG—Central Hong Kong after dark offers a riot of neon. Multicolored, flashing lights race up and down its skyscrapers in a melange of patterns, while more stationary signs advertise global brands—Samsung, Sony and many others—as part of a nightly show that illuminates the harbor.

But a more ominous name recently joined the mix. Flashing white lights on one tall building now spell out in large characters, with no elaboration needed, the words “Chinese People’s Liberation Army”. It’s a blunt reminder of where ultimate power would lie if an escalating political showdown leads to protracted, perhaps violent, disputes between Hong Kong citizens and mainland Chinese authorities. At present, there’s no sign of a peaceful end to what Anson Chan, a former number-two government official and respected advocate of greater democracy, has forecasted as “a very long, hot summer.” A former Beijing official has even warned that Chinese troops might be summoned if an “Occupy Central” demonstration—the pro-democrats plan to temporarily close down the business district later this year, unless the political system is liberalized—gets out of control.

At issue is how far and how fast Hong Kong people can move toward having a fully democratic political system to manage their own affairs within a broader Chinese context. Beijing promised this when it regained sovereignty over the former British colony back in 1997—“Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong” with “a high degree of autonomy” was the pledge—but it has alternately stalled and reneged ever since. The reasons aren’t stated clearly but probably reflect the Chinese Communist Party’s perennial suspicions, if not paranoia, about any political group outside its control, and are spurred by an intensified crackdown on all dissent inside China since Xi Jinping became president two years ago. According to a former U.S. consul general in Hong Kong, the ruling party worries that a successful campaign for greater autonomy could prove infectious and spread across the border.

Thus Li Yuanchao, China’s vice president, has called the Occupy Central movement an illegal campaign that could “delay universal suffrage and wreck the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong.” Like other Beijing leaders, he favors a vetting system that produces a ballot for the city’s highest office that lists only “patriotic” candidates who “conform to the standard of loving the country and loving Hong Kong”. In practice, that means barring anyone who doesn’t promise to faithfully follow the mainland’s party line.

The immediate dispute concerns drafting rules for electing a new chief executive (the senior government official) in 2017 by universal suffrage for the first time. While Beijing wants to block any candidate it doesn’t like, Hong Kong activists want to leave the ballot open for someone with a demonstrated degree of popular support, perhaps from their own ranks. The dispute also raises the more fundamental issue of how long Hong Kong’s 7 million people can retain the broader civic, political and legal rights that already give them freedoms unknown elsewhere in China—or whether Beijing is trying to take them away.

Hong Kong residents have just demonstrated forcefully that they want an honest choice, no matter what Beijing prefers. Last week (June 22-29), pro-democracy activists organized a referendum that asked everyone with a Hong Kong identity card to pick one of three ways of ensuring that the future method of choosing candidates would be an open one. They hoped 300,000 people would take the time to vote online (at www.popvote.hk) or in person; in fact, 787,767 voted, despite hacking that sometimes shut down the website. Though the tally is mainly symbolic and has no official standing, the Hong Kong and Chinese governments will have difficulty ignoring the sentiment behind the huge turnout. In fact, Rao Geping, a Beijing academic who advises the central government on Hong Kong policy, has already said the two governments “have to take it seriously”.

A compromise is needed, but it won’t come easily. Beijing contends that all three choices in the unofficial poll violate specific terms of the Basic Law, the Chinese legislation that serves as Hong Kong’s de facto constitution. The city’s respected bar association, steeped in British common law, agrees, as do Ms. Chan and other pro-democracy advocates who have stayed apart from the Occupy Central movement, because they find its tactics too confrontational. But they contend the current system, which relies on a 1200-person nominating committee packed with pro-government worthies, can be amended to achieve the desired democratic result. The Basic Law says the committee should be “broadly representative”, which it is not; reformers would change the committee’s rules and membership so that a popular candidate lacking Beijing’s stamp of approval could be nominated along with establishment favorites, giving voters some clear choices. But any solution would have to overcome both differences between mainland officials and Hong Kong politicians, as well as divisions among the democrats themselves.


Without compromise there can be no winners, only adverse consequences that would extend far beyond Hong Kong itself. If the Chinese Communist Party imposes its will, with the acquiescence of an often-supine Hong Kong government, that would risk stability in the country’s richest city, one that still plays an important role in China’s financial affairs and globally. Doing so would also signal Asian neighbors that Beijing has little interest in compromise if force can produce victory, however pyrrhic, and these nations have severe territorial disputes with China. In addition, the “one country, two systems” policy that governs Hong Kong is supposed to show Taiwan how benevolent mainland rule can be; a forceful resolution could sabotage the improved cross-straits relations that prevail these days. In general, the world would be reminded that dealing with China can be difficult, perhaps dangerous.

But an increasingly intolerant China shows no sign of wanting compromise. Instead, its press and spokesmen have accused the democrats of seeking outright independence, which they are not, and claim senior British and American diplomats based there are interfering in Hong Kong’s internal matters whenever they suggest more democracy would be a good thing. The Beijing Global Times newspaper even has accused a foreign “black hand” of fomenting anti-China feelings and suggested it may belong to former Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, who visited Hong Kong recently (proving that it doesn’t understand who has clout with the Obama administration). More importantly, Beijing has issued a White Paper asserting that Hong Kong activists have a “lopsided” understanding of political reality, that the city has only as much autonomy as China chooses to give it.

As this suggests, Beijing’s complaints extend far beyond the technicalities of election law. As President Xi centralizes political power on the mainland, his officials seem increasingly fed up with obstreperous Hong Kong politicians who want more leeway and they complain that its people retain their “mentality as colonial subjects.” There is also a traditional disdain of many Party bureaucrats toward Hong Kong merchants whom they contend lack political resolve and a sense of national mission (though some of these officials eagerly funnel their own ill-gotten wealth into Hong Kong). The Xi regime says Hong Kong should be grateful for the economic benefits it receives and stop making trouble.

For the most part, Hong Kong business leaders support Beijing, largely to protect their own commercial interests. Several locally based chambers of commerce (but not the American chamber) have voiced strong opposition to the Occupy Central movement. The accounting industry’s big four—EY, KPMG, Deloitte and PwC, which all have major mainland accounts—have placed newspaper ads denouncing the movement. The four biggest banks in Hong Kong, including HSBC and Standard Chartered, stopped advertising in Hong Kong’s largest-circulation newspaper—one often critical of Beijing—because Chinese officials told them to. In Hong Kong, there is a long history of communists and capitalists cooperating to oppose democratic politics.

But the Hong Kong public has its own grievances. Millions of increasingly wealthy mainlanders—who often seem rude and demanding—visit each year and strip shop shelves of products (like baby formula) that are either unavailable or distrusted back home. A founder of the city’s main pro-Beijing political party concedes that most residents don’t trust the communists and don’t want them in charge. Thus an estimated 180,000 people gathered in Hong Kong’s Victoria Park on June 4 to commemorate the June 4 killings near Tiananmen Square twenty-five years ago, a memorial banned elsewhere in China, and several hundred thousand people gathered Tuesday for an annual demonstration—one that predates the Occupy Central movement—that also expresses displeasure with Communist policies. Many Hong Kong residents believe the existing system has given them three unpopular and ineffective chief executives in a row—all too eager to please Beijing—and hope universal suffrage will bring to office a more efficient government headed by someone more attuned to their own problems.

Despite all this, some political actors, like Ms. Chan, believe compromise remains possible. She notes that a 2010 dispute over how to elect the city’s legislature was resolved before the worst could happen. Mainland officials and pro-democracy activists met in secret and worked out a solution that nudged the democratic cause forward a bit. She says the pattern could be repeated, that no one wants chaos in Hong Kong.

But if there is no sign of serious progress by year-end, and the Occupy Central movement responds by shutting down the business district, all bets are off. That drastic step would be extremely unpopular with Beijing, the local business community and much of the public. When China regained sovereignty over Hong Kong, it promised that the civil and social systems would remain intact for fifty years to 2047. It could use a shutdown as an excuse to bring that day forward.



Robert Keatley, a former editor of the Asian Wall Street Journal and the South China Morning Post, was recently in Hong Kong.

Asia-Pacific
Hong Kong protesters in blockade bid
Anti-China protesters seeking greater democracy and freedoms launch campaign to blockade financial centre.
Last updated: 27 Sep 2014 19:04
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The blockade comes hours after riot police cleared a government complex of protesters [Reuters]

The launch of a campaign to blockade the heart of Hong Kong’s financial centre has been announced by the leader of a movement seeking greater democracy and freedoms.

The news came in the early hours of Sunday as tens of thousands of people gathered in the centre of Hong Kong less than 24 hours after riot police fired pepper spray to disperse activists who had stormed government headquarters to demand full democracy.

Benny Tai, leader of the movement Occupy Central with Love and Peace, called for the blockade after he joined students in the city to show his support for their protests.
Hong Kong police disperse pro-democracy group

Police issued a news release on Saturday night urging the protesters to leave peacefully and avoid obstructing officers, saying that otherwise they would "soon take actions to restore public order".

At least 34 people have been injured since the protest began, including four police officers and 11 government staff and guards, authorities said.

The campaign to blockade the financial centre comes after after more than 1,000 school pupils rallied to support university students demanding full democracy for Hong Kong, capping a week-long campaign that has seen classroom strikes. The students occupied an area outside government headquarters and defended their position with metal crowd-control barricades originally brought in by authorities.

The students are demanding China's Communist leaders allow Hong Kong to hold fully democratic elections in 2017. China, which took control of the former British colony in 1997, has promised that Hong Kong can have universal suffrage. But tensions over the Asian financial hub's political future boiled over after China's legislature last month ruled out letting the public nominate candidates, instead insisting they be screened by a committee of Beijing loyalists similar to the one that currently picks the city's leader.
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Hong Kong protesters remain on streets
Huge crowds of pro-democracy protesters defy government calls to go home, bringing city's key districts to a standstill.
Last updated: 30 Sep 2014 00:57
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Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters have turned parts of Hong Kong into a massive street party on Monday night, with the mood turning festive just a day after riot police fired tear gas in ugly clashes.

The huge crowds defied government calls to go home after Sunday's chaotic scenes, bringing key districts of the Asian financial hub to a standstill as they vowed to stay put until the Chinese government grants them free elections.

Sunday's violence saw riot police fire clouds of tear gas as they struggled to control the protesters, in one of the biggest ever challenges to Beijing's rule of the semi-autonomous city.

The anger gave way to a lighter atmosphere on Monday night as riot police retreated, leaving huge masses of protesters in control of at least four major thoroughfares around the city.

Although there were few police on the scene, some protesters feared a repeat of Sunday's clashes, donning goggles and masks to protect themselves against tear gas.

The demonstrators are furious over last month's announcement by Beijing that while it will allow the city's next leader to be elected in 2017, it will insist on picking the candidates, with critics branding the move a "fake democracy".

Public anger over rampant inequality is also at its highest in years in a city once renowned for its stability.

'Umbrella revolution'

Cantonese pop music filled the air during the second day of what some are dubbing the "umbrella revolution", as protesters have been using the canopies as shields against tear gas and the scorching sun alike.
China vows not to tolerate dissent, blocks Instagram

One British sympathiser won huge cheers as he set up a barbecue and began handing out hamburgers and sausages to the protesters.

"I saw everybody was just standing around and just eating bread and bananas and I thought, 'These guys have been here for 24 hours now, and everybody needs cooked food'," Daniel Shepherd, a finance broker by day, told AFP news agency.

"Firing tear gas at students that are unarmed, I think, seems a bit excessive," added the 32-year-old.

The crowds hoisted up a makeshift copy of the "goddess of democracy" statue that graced the 1989 protests in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, while lamp posts were adorned with yellow ribbons - which, like the umbrella, have become a symbol of the movement.

But many Hong Kongers expressed frustration at the huge disruption the protests have caused, with the crowds blocking key junctions in the busy Causeway Bay and Mongkok shopping districts as well as the biggest protest site in Admiralty.

There was chaos on the transport network, shuttering many businesses, with schools in two central districts set to close for a second day on Tuesday.

Some social workers and teachers also went on strike after the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU) and the Professional Teachers' Union (PTU) called for members to take action, the South China Morning Post reported.

Political headache for China

Analysts said the protests put the Chinese government in an extremely difficult position.

Communist authorities are worried that dealing with the protests too softly could encourage wider protests for greater freedoms on the mainland.

But a heavy-handed response could spark an international outcry.

"It has the potential to be such a major crisis," said Christopher Hughes, a China expert at the London School of Economics.

He warned that Hong Kong could see a repeat of China's violent crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests.

"If they did decide to send in the tanks, who could stop them?" he asked.

"They did it in 1989 and got away with it and they're a lot more powerful now. There would be some negative impact, some business confidence, but how long will that last?"

The United States urged Hong Kong's leaders to "exercise restraint". Former colonial power Britain also expressed concern, calling for "constructive" talks to end the standoff.

Beijing moved swiftly to wipe mentions of the protests from Chinese social media - blocking photo-sharing service Instagram altogether - and reiterated its hardline stance, opposing the demonstrators' "illegal" actions.

Al Jazeera's Adrian Brown, reporting from Beijing, confirmed the outage saying "many photos from the protests were being posted on the app, and it seems that China wants to starve this story of oxygen".

He added that other blogs that mention the words "occupy" and "central" were also having problems.

Taiwan throws support behind HK democracy demands
Associated Press
By DIDI TANG October 1, 2014 10:14 AM

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Photos of the day - October 2, 2014
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A student protester gets emotional while pleading for a peaceful resolution, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014 in Hong Kong. The student leaders of the protests are warning that if the territory's top official doesn't resign by tomorrow, they will step up their actions -- including occupying several important government buildings. They'd be risking another round of confrontations with police, who are unlikely to let government buildings be stormed. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

BEIJING (AP) — Taiwan, an island that China's ruling Communist Party has long sought to bring into its fold under the same "one country, two systems" arrangement it has for Hong Kong, has thrown its support behind Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement.

Taiwanese leaders also have urged Beijing to live up to its pledges of autonomy in the former British colony or risk further alienating the Taiwanese public.

"If Hong Kong can soon achieve universal suffrage, it would be a win-win for Hong Kong and the mainland, and it can greatly help narrow the mental gap between residents on both sides of (the Taiwan Strait) and allow for the relations to develop positively," Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou said.

"Otherwise, it may deepen the antipathy of Taiwan's public and hurt the future of relations between the two sides," Ma said in the statement, dated Tuesday.

In August, Beijing rejected a proposal for open nominations of candidates for Hong Kong's first-ever leadership election in 2017. Instead, all candidates must continue to be picked by a panel that is mostly aligned with Beijing.

In response, tens of thousands of people have rallied in Hong Kong's streets since late last week to press demands for genuine democratic reforms that are in line with "one country, two systems," the arrangement negotiated for the 1997 return of the city from British to Chinese rule.

That constitutional arrangement initially was formulated by China's late Communist leader Deng Xiaoping in an attempt to peacefully reunify with Taiwan, where the nationalist government of the Republic of China settled in 1949 as its last stronghold after losing a civil war to the Communists on the mainland.

The nationalist government's ambitions to reclaim the mainland later fizzled, and the island became a self-governing democracy, although there has never been a formal declaration of independence.

Last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward the "one country, two systems" arrangement for Taiwan again, only to see it openly rejected by both Ma and Taiwan's opposition party.

Speaking about the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests, Huang Di-ying, spokesman for Taiwan's opposition Democratic Progressive Party, said the city's residents had received "a birdcage election law that made a mockery of what the people of Hong Kong had come to expect."

On Tuesday, Taiwan's governmental Mainland Affairs Council issued a statement declaring its support for the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong and invoking its significance for all Chinese people.

"People of Hong Kong have long had high hopes for the implementation of universal suffrage, using it to test if the mainland has truly fulfilled its promises under 'one country, two systems,'" the statement said.

Should Hong Kong's democracy move forward, the council said, "it will not only ensure the long-term stability of Hong Kong, but also be of profound significance to the long-term development" of relations between China and Taiwan and "for the development of democracy and rule of law for the entire Chinese people."

Hong Kong protests: John Kerry to meet Chinese foreign minister to discuss unrest
Published on Oct 1, 2014 6:52 AM
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WASHINGTON (REUTERS) – China is facing growing US pressure to show restraint during mass pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, with the issue to be raised in high-level US-Chinese talks and a prominent US lawmaker expressing “grave concerns.”

A day after the United States backed calls by thousands of protesters for greater autonomy in selecting candidates for Hong Kong’s chief executive, US officials said Secretary of State John Kerry would discuss the issue with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi when the two meet in Washington on Wednesday.

“I expect it will come up,” State Department spokesman Jen Psaki told reporters, referring to the Hong Kong protests. “It is in the news. It is an issue we are concerned about and focused on.”

The protesters, mostly students, are demanding full democracy and have called on chief executive Leung Chun Ying to step down after Beijing ruled a month ago that it would vet candidates wishing to run for Hong Kong’s leadership in 2017. They have threatened to escalate action over the next few days.

Psaki said Kerry was expected to say that the Hong Kong chief executive’s legitimacy would be enhanced if people have a genuine choice of candidates, a position expressed by the White House on Monday that went beyond the administration’s previous broad calls for greater democracy.

Hong Kong Protesters Brace for a Holiday Test
Protesters Expect Attempts to Break Up Demonstrations

Jason Chow,
Fiona Law and
Isabella Steger
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Updated Oct. 1, 2014 3:24 a.m. ET
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Lightning and heavy rain marked the scene outside the central government complex. A coming two-day holiday could bring record numbers to rallies spreading throughout the city as organizers pressed demands for free elections. Lam Yik Fei/Bloomberg

HONG KONG—Pro-democracy rallies, expanding farther across Hong Kong on Wednesday, China's National Day holiday, threatened to escalate beyond the aims of some organizers and raise the chance of confrontation.

Both the government and protesters had dug into their positions Tuesday: Protest organizers called on Leung Chun-ying, the city's chief executive, to resign by midnight or face growing masses on the streets. Mr. Leung urged protesters to return home in his first public remarks since police cracked down on protesters Sunday. (Latest: Hong Kong Protests Build on National Day)

After the deadline passed, crowds fanned out to a provocative new site—Golden Bauhinia Square, the setting for celebrations of the 65th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China—despite the warnings of some protest leaders who feared alienating the public or inciting a government crackdown. Other organizers, including 17-year-old student leader Joshua Wong, joined the protest there.

As China's national anthem played and the flag was raised, around 30 protesters turned their backs and raised crossed hands in silence, while military planes and helicopters flew above. Some waved the Chinese flag upside down, contrasting with more than a hundred pro-government attendees with red caps, holding small flags of China and Hong Kong and shouting, "Go away, dirty things!"

Before the ceremony began, protester Oscar Lai called it "not a National day but a day of national shame." But in a departure from previous years—and from this past weekend when police used tear gas to disperse protesters—the protesters were left undisturbed by authorities. individual protesters to escalate to more violent actions that could incite a police response.

"I think police didn't stop us this year because of accelerated political pressure and mounted discontent in the society," said Mr. Wong.

Just outside the square Wednesday, one group of protesters debated whether to continue their peaceful protest or whether they should take a more aggressive approach.

"If you want to win, you have to do something, but nobody knows exactly what to do," said Nick Wong, a dentist who joined the demonstrations Tuesday night.

Richie Yue, a student at the University of Hong Kong, said he was in the area near Bauhinia Square Wednesday to ask protesters to leave, worrying that their presence veered too far from the goals of the Occupy Central activist movement, which advocates peaceful protests.

By Wednesday afternoon, protests in Admiralty, where many government offices are located, showed no signs of abating. Despite the afternoon heat, crowds continued to swell and had a relaxed atmosphere.

On Tuesday, crowds endured heavy rain and lightning to gather across Victoria Harbour on the luxury shopping strip on Canton Road, in the Tsim Sha Tsui district. Supplies such as bottled water and food were quickly ferried to the newcomers.

Mr. Leung has chided protesters for endangering Hong Kong's economy and reputation, and said protests wouldn't change Beijing's decision to effectively prescreen candidates for the election of Hong Kong's top leader—the issue at the root of the protests.

The war of words underlined growing apprehension ahead of the weeklong holiday in China, which draws many mainlanders to Hong Kong to sightsee and shop.

In Admiralty, many of the people present expressed concern that the rallies were becoming too confrontational.

Cheung Yu-yeung, a student, said he feels the protests are getting out of control and expanding too quickly, with too many different agendas. "We are not going to go against the police or China's government. We just want real open nominations for chief executive," he said.

Early Wednesday, as the protests entered their sixth day, one of the main student-led groups, the Hong Kong Federation of Students, said on its Twitter account: "We recommend protesters to secure already occupied areas now instead of expanding the movement." In a tweet around the same time, another major student group, Scholarism, discouraged protesters from going to Bauhinia Square for the flag-raising ceremony.

The combination of events to celebrate patriotism toward China and the start of a big shopping week fueled fears on the streets Tuesday night that the city would try to clear them out.

In a sign that the protests are starting to affect commerce, French cosmetics company L'Oréal banned its staff from business travel to Hong Kong until next week, the first major international company to publicly acknowledge concern around the city's turmoil.

The Hong Kong office of China's Foreign Ministry sent out a letter on Sunday to foreign diplomats in the city, advising them to "stay away from the sites of assembly…so as to avoid violating the law and affecting their own safety and interests." The U.S. Consulate confirmed it received the letter.

Daytime temperatures Tuesday hit 86 degrees Fahrenheit before giving way to loud thunderstorms in the evening. Protesters stayed out, already wielding umbrellas to shield against the sun as well as pepper spray. Organizers expected the largest number of people in the streets since protests began in earnest on Friday night.

Many demonstrators, such as 67-year-old grandmother Tam Kam Yuk, thought it was particularly important to show support on the eve of a holiday heavy on symbolism. "This is my first time out," she said. "Even though the chances are slim, we should fight for what we want."

For the first time in the latest wave of protests that have largely lacked an organizing authority, student organizers and Occupy Central leaders presented a united front, standing together at a joint news conference to blame Mr. Leung for failing to take residents' wishes for free elections into account and for authorizing the use of tear gas against protesters Sunday night

"Only if Leung Chun-ying steps down can there be a new government to restart constitutional reform," said Chan Kin-man, a co-founder of Occupy Central, the group that has been the main force calling for civil disobedience in Hong Kong.

Alongside him was Alex Chow, leader of the Hong Kong Federation of Students, who threatened to widen protests to government buildings unless Mr. Leung acknowledged protesters' demands.

The student-led protest group said there had been no communication between it and the government early Wednesday.

Some protesters worried about the potential consequences of the threat to expand protests.

"If Occupy spreads to more places, it may actually lessen support because there are some people who support the movement but still want to be able to go about their jobs and daily lives," said K.Y. Chan, a 30-year-old office worker who was out with five other family members.

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In the face of continuing protests, authorities appear to have several choices. They could allow protests go on in the hope they lose energy before the start of the next workweek, but letting them remain beyond that could be a problem.

"The longer the protesters remain on the street, the more likely that incidents will occur," said Steve Vickers, a former senior officer in Hong Kong's police force.

Forcing out protesters spread across three city districts, some of which are among the most densely populated on earth, would be a challenge for police, security experts said.

"Dispersing any kind of protest should always be the last option you look at," said Adam Leggat, who advises police forces for Densus Group.

Mr. Leung reiterated his confidence in the city's police force and said he doesn't see a need to seek help from Chinese military forces, which has been a concern among many protesters.

"When there are problems in Hong Kong society, our police force should be able to resolve them and we won't need to mobilize the People's Liberation Army," he told reporters.

Hong Kong stocks fell 1.3% Tuesday, hitting their lowest levels in 2½ months.Several banks, including Standard Chartered Bank PLC, HSBC Holdings HSBA.LN -1.06% PLC, and Bank of China Hong Kong said their operations were affected by the protests. Several bank branches reopened, but Hong Kong's central bank said 19 banks kept some branches and offices closed Tuesday.

—Juro Osawa, Ned Levin, Enda Curran and Mia Lamar contributed to this article.

Write to Jason Chow at jason.chow@wsj.com and Enda Curran at enda.curran@wsj.com

FireChat, estrella de las protestas en Hong Kong y arma contra la represión china

Por: Ramiro Rivera - octubre 7 de 2014 - 0:00
Ciencia y tecnología, DE REVISTA, Destacada - C y T, TIEMPO REAL, Tiempo Real - C y T - Sin comentarios

Foto: yavenezuela.com

El boom de descargas de FireChat se debió a que no necesita estar conectado a la red para enviar mensajes. Foto: yavenezuela.com

Ciudad de México, 7 de octubre (SinEmbargo).- A partir de que las manifestaciones en Hong Kong dieron inicio, la telefonía móvil y, sobre todo, sus aplicaciones se convirtieron en una de las principales armas de los indignados que se valieron de la tecnología de sus gadgets para difundir la situación en este punto del orbe. Sin embargo, ante el bloqueo de algunas redes sociales, hubo una app que surgió en medio de este caos virtual, alzándose como la principal vía de comunicación: FireChat

La empresa Open Garden, creadora de esta herramienta, dio a conocer que tan sólo en esta semana más de 200 mil usuarios nuevos se registraron en Hong Kong para usar este servicio de mensajería instantánea, lo que culminó en más de dos millones de sesiones de “chat” en esta región del planeta a través de esta aplicación.

Además, la compañía con sede en California indicó que, actualmente, la media de usuarios conectados a través de FireChat en Hong Kong se sitúa entre 12 mil y 20 mil personas.
Las descargas de la aplicación han subido a 200 mil después de una semana de manifestaciones. Foto: EFE

Las descargas de la aplicación han subido a 200 mil después de una semana de manifestaciones. Foto: EFE

Luego de que el gobierno chino bloqueara la señal de internet en la isla al igual que redes sociales como Instagram, los manifestantes hongkoneses han podido seguir comunicados gracias a su protocolo descentralizado, el cual puede ser un dolor de cabeza para las administraciones.

De acuerdo con el sitio Genbeta, la aplicación utiliza las antenas Wi-Fi y Bluetooth para buscar otros dispositivos a su alrededor, con lo que crea una red de nodos que se puede comunicar entre sí formando una “red local” automáticamente. De esta manera, varias personas reunidas en la calle (ya sean cientos o miles) que tengan instalada esta app en sus smartphones pueden chatear entre ellas, así como organizarse y enviar avisos rápidos, sin problemas aunque no haya señal de datos.

Al utilizar la aplicación los usuarios se conectan a una red en malla o mesh network que funciona a través del Bluetooth y el wifi del teléfono celular inteligente, lo que permite el intercambio de mensajes entre personas cercanas. Por otra pare, mientras más personas haya, mayor es el alcance de la misma, puesto que cada teléfono representa un nodo que se conecta al resto de nodos como si fuera una cadena.
Desde las manifestaciones en Irak, hasta las de Hong Kong, FireChat ha demostrado ser la red de mensajería más popular para los indignados. Foto: EFE

Desde las manifestaciones en Irak, hasta las de Hong Kong, FireChat ha demostrado ser la red de mensajería más popular para los indignados. Foto: EFE

Queda demostrado, con la situación actual de Hong Kong, que este uso puede ser bastante útil en casos en los que se priva de la libertad de información. Sin embargo, protocolos como estos también pueden salvar vidas en catástrofes o accidentes en los que varias víctimas estén involucradas.

Por todas estas razones, un auténtico “boom” de descargas de la aplicación se desencadenó en la isla asiática, en el que todos los manifestantes con smartphone han podido coordinarse, corriendo la voz de la utilidad de la app directamente en el lugar de las protestas. Por si fuera poco, FireChat está disponible para iOS y Android, lo que contribuyó también a su creciente popularidad.

Según publicó El Diario, #OcuppyCentral no es la primera manifestación que conoce los beneficios de esta aplicación. Luego de que el pasado 14 de junio, el gobierno iraquí dejara sin internet a sus ciudadanos, Firechat experimentó 40 mil descargas en pocos días. Hasta esas fechas, sus desarrolladores aseguraban que antes de eso sólo se había descargado seis mil veces en Irak desde su lanzamiento en marzo. Desde entonces, este país en Medio Oriente es uno de los lugares en donde se usa Firechat de manera más activa en la actualidad.

Asia-Pacific
Hong Kong leader blames 'external forces'
Leung does not identify countries allegedly behind pro-democracy protests, as political crisis shows no sign of abating.
Last updated: 20 Oct 2014 05:16

Protesters, who are predominantly students, demand fully democratic elections for the city [EPA]

Hong Kong’s leader has said that the "external forces" have been involved in pro-democracy protests which have been going on in the country for more than three weeks.

In the past week, Hong Kong police have repeatedly clashed with protesters, who are demanding fully democratic elections for the city.

"There is obviously participation by people, organisations from outside of Hong Kong, in politics in Hong Kong, over a long time," Leung Chun-ying, Hong Kong's chief executive, said during a TV interview on Sunday.

Leung refused to reveal which countries were behind the alleged interference.

He also said that the movement is now "out of control even for people who started it, for people who planned it, for people who scripted it".

Dozens of people, including 22 police officers, were reportedly injured in two nights of clashes that began late on Friday in the densely populated Mong Kok district. Four people were arrested early on Sunday, police said.

The area was calm early on Monday, although scores of protesters remained on the streets.

Hopes of easing the worst political crisis in Hong Kong since the UK handed the colony back to China in 1997 rest on talks scheduled for Tuesday between the government and student protest leaders that will be broadcast live.

The demonstrators first took to the streets in late September in opposition to the Chinese central government's decision to screen candidates running in the territory's first direct elections, due to be held in 2017.

Los tribunales ordenan desmantelar las protestas en zonas de Hong Kong
La orden judicial llega en vísperas del diálogo entre los líderes estudiantiles y el gobierno
Pablo Wang Hong Kong 20 OCT 2014 - 17:39 CEST


Los manifestantes prodemocracia que ocupan algunas de las principales calles de Hong Kong sufrieron hoy un revés. El Tribunal Superior del territorio autónomo chino emitió tres órdenes que obligan a los participantes en las sentadas a abandonar de inmediato varias calles, la mayoría en el barrio de Mong Kok, donde el fin de semana se produjeron fuertes altercados entre los estudiantes y la Policía. La decisión judicial ha llegado en vísperas del esperado diálogo este martes entre los líderes del movimiento estudiantil y el gobierno local.

Las dos órdenes que afectan al área de Mong Kok se emiten a instancias de las asociaciones gremiales de taxistas y de una compañía municipal de autobuses,y aceptan el argumento de que la ocupación de las calles, que dura ya 22 días, se ha alargado demasiado y se ha convertido en una "molestia". El juez Jeremy Poon también apunta que prolongar la sentada puede llevar a enfrentamientos aún más duros entre los participantes y la Policía.

La tercera orden judicial, a instancias de la empresa propietaria de un edificio, se refiere a un trecho muy concreto del área de Admiralty, en el centro de Hong Kong, donde tienen lugar las principales manifestaciones.

El portavoz policial Steven Hui afirmó hoy en una rueda de prensa que, a juicio de los agentes, "la situación (en Mong Kok) se encamina a un motín". Hui acusó a los manifestantes de atacar los cordones policiales "armados" con paraguas, cascos y gafas de plástico.
más información

Hong Kong atribuye las protestas prodemocracia a "fuerzas externas"
El gobierno y los estudiantes dialogarán el martes
Un país, dos sistemas: Diferencias entre Hong Kong y China
Las claves de la movilización en Hong Kong

Hasta el momento, los estudiantes han optado por hacer caso omiso de las órdenes judiciales, que se publicarán en los principales periódicos de la excolonia británica y se anunciarán por altavoz en los sitios de las protestas. Joshua Wong, líder de la organización Scholarism, que agrupa a los estudiantes de secundaria, ha indicado en declaraciones al periódico South China Morning Post que "cada individuo debe decidir si acata o no" la orden. No obstante, ha subrayado que quienes decidan permanecer deben plantearse si están dispuestos a aceptar las consecuencias legales que ello pueda acarrear.

La decisión judicial se produce apenas horas antes de que esté previsto el comienzo del debate de dos horas entre los líderes estudiantiles y la número dos del gobierno autónomo, Carrie Lam, en la Academia de Medicina de Hong Kong y que será retransmitido por televisión. El propio juez Poon, al emitir la orden contra las manifestaciones, se preguntó si la petición de los taxistas y la compañía de autobuses llegaba en el momento apropiado, dada la inminencia de las conversaciones.

Aunque el diálogo ha suscitado gran interés, no se espera que genere grandes avances en la disputa entre el movimiento estudiantil prodemocracia y el gobierno local. Los estudiantes reclaman la dimisión del jefe del ejecutivo, Leung Chun-Ying, y la retirada o la modificación de la propuesta de reforma electoral para la ex colonia que ha propuesto el Gobierno central chino. Esa propuesta prevé el sufragio universal en el territorio autónomo a partir de 2017 pero impide que los ciudadanos puedan nombrar candidatos al puesto de jefe de gobierno local. En su lugar, los candidatos tendrán que ser propuestos por un comité de 1.200 miembros, lo que para los manifestantes impide que los comicios puedan ser verdaderamente libres.

Leung asegura que no se plantea dimitir y que cuenta con el respaldo absoluto del Gobierno central. También ha rechazado poner sobre la mesa de las negociaciones la propuesta de reforma que ha planteado Pekín.

Enfrentamiento entre manifestantes y policías deja heridos y detenidos en Hong Kong

Por Redacción / Sinembargo - noviembre 30 de 2014 - 16:49
DE REVISTA, MUNDO, TIEMPO REAL - 1 comentario


Hong Kong, 1 dic (dpa) – Las calles de Hong Kong fueron escenario esta noche de nuevos enfrentamientos entre activistas a favor de una mayor demoracia y la policía.

Miles de manifestantes intentaron bloquear esta madrugada (hora local) edificios gubernamentales, informó la cadena CNN. La policía respondió con bastones y gas pimienta. En ambos lados se registraron heridos y varios manifestantes fueron detenidos.

Las manifestaciones, que se iniciaron hace dos meses, reclaman por los planes del gobierno comunista en Pekín de permitir en 2017 la celebración por primera vez de elecciones directas en la ex colonia británica, pero no la libre nominación de candidatos.

Los manifestantes reclaman auténtica democracia. De todas maneras, con el paso de las semanas el movimiento fue perdiendo fuerza y apoyo de parte de la población en Hong Kong.