Hong Kong chief urges end to protests

Hong Kong’s chief executive Leung Chun-ying has called on the leaders of pro-democracy protesters to “immediately” end the current demonstrations in the region.

Leung said on Tuesday that street gatherings organized by Occupy Central, the main grassroots group behind the recent protests, had gone “out of control.”

“Occupy Central founders had said repeatedly that if the movement is getting out of control, they would call for it to stop. I’m now asking them to fulfill the promise they made to society, and stop this campaign immediately,” Leung said.

However, protest leaders rejected Leung’s demands, saying his resignation would end the demonstrations.

“If Leung Chun-ying announces his resignation, this occupation will be at least temporarily stopped in a short period of time, and we will decide on the next move,” Occupy Central’s co-founder Chan Kin-man said.

This comes a day after China warned against foreign meddling in the protests in Hong Kong, saying the recent unrest was part of Beijing’s “internal affairs.”

Earlier this week, clashes erupted between riot police and protesters, who have been calling on Leung to step down. They have set Wednesday as a deadline for the government to meet their demands.

The unrest was triggered after China refused to allow open nominations for the region’s next chief executive in 2017, forcing the voters to choose from a list of two or three candidates selected by a nominating committee.

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.

SZH/HJL/HRB