Hong Kong’s embattled leader reaches out to students with talks offer

Hong Kong's embattled chief executive Leung Chun-ying reached out to student democracy activists with the offer of talks yesterday, but public anger simmered over footage of seven police officers kicking a demonstrator in hand restraints.

"As long as students or other sectors in Hong Kong are prepared to focus on this issue, yes we are ready, we are prepared to start the dialogue," Mr Leung told reporters.

The protesters, many of them students, but also a fairly representative cross-section of Hong Kong society, have been protesting for more than two weeks against restrictions imposed by Beijing on how it chooses its next leader in 2017. They also are calling for Mr Leung to step down.

Tensions have been running high at the downtown barricades, as riot police have used pepper spray to retake the occupied streets and hacked down some of the makeshift barricades erected by protesters.

The demonstrations have been roundly condemned by Beijing, which says they are “doomed to fail” and accuses foreign interests of trying to stage a “colour revolution” in Hong Kong.

New talks

The pro-Beijing leader said the process of organising talks was already in train. A previous plan to hold talks collapsed after the government decided there could be “no constructive outcome”.

The seven police officers caught on camera kicking a member of the Civic Party, his hands tied behind his back, has caused widespread anger in Hong Kong and further polarised the two sides.

The police, who have been suspended, were among hundreds battling with activists to clear one of the city’s main thoroughfares, right beside the government headquarters.

What is looking increasingly likely is that any longer term settlement will involve a close look at the terms laid out in the Basic Law, Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, and finding ways of interpreting the rules that will suit everyone.

Mr Leung said the decision by the Beijing government on vetting candidates is irreversible, but he wanted to explore with the students what can be done within the context of the Basic Law. He was at pains to emphasise that the Sino-British “joint declaration”, signed in 1984 as a basis for the handover to Chinese rule back in 1997, does not contain the words “universal suffrage”.

‘Nomination committee’

“In the second round of consultation, we can still listen to everyone’s views. There is still room to discuss issues including the exact formation of the nomination committee,” he said.

“Going forward, we cannot allow the occupying of streets to have a negative impact on Hong Kong society. Police will use appropriate methods to deal with this problem,” he said.