HONG KONG - The Hong Kong government has set a Monday morning deadline for the police to clear away pro-democracy demonstrators who have blocked offices, including its own headquarters, two people with a detailed knowledge of the government's deliberations said on Sunday.
The demand for the police to clear sit-ins blocking government offices by the start of the workweek could open the way for a showdown with protesters, who have shown no sign of leaving the sites they have occupied for over a week. But the police have been given leeway on how and when to enforce the orders, said the two people, both of whom insisted on anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions.
Hong Kong's leader, or chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, 'has laid down the word: Offices have to be accessible by tomorrow morning,' one of the two people said. The Hong Kong police are capable of clearing the streets and would not need help from mainland Chinese security forces, that person said.
The police used tear gas a week ago in an attempt to disperse protesters, but more crowds arrived in response to what were perceived by many as unnecessarily heavy-handed tactics by the authorities.
'The protesters are also looking for a way to stand down, though some die-hards would remain - minimum force would be used only if needed,' the person said, adding that the precise time for moving in on protesters was being left to the discretion of the police.
The proposed deadline opened the way for a possible confrontation on Sunday between the passionate, often disjointed protest movement challenging a government that, taking its cue from Beijing, has refused to compromise on the protesters' broadly shared demands: democratic elections for the leader of Hong Kong and the removal of the incumbent, Mr. Leung. His previous demands for the protesters to leave have been ignored.
Posted by Unknown on Sunday, October 5, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
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