Hong Kong democracy protesters defied volleys of tear gas and police baton charges
to stand firm in the centre of the global financial hub on Monday, one
of the biggest political challenges for Beijing since the Tiananmen
Square crackdown 25 years ago.
China
wagged its finger at the student protesters, and warned against any
foreign interference as they massed again in business and tourist
districts of the city in the late afternoon. "Hong Kong is China's Hong Kong," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying defiantly told a news briefing in Beijing.
The unrest, the worst in Hong Kong since China
resumed its rule over the former British colony in 1997, sent white
clouds of gas wafting among some of the world's most valuable office
towers and shopping malls before riot police suddenly withdrew around
lunchtime on Monday, after three nights of confrontation.
China
rules Hong Kong under a "one country, two systems" formula that accords
the territory limited democracy.
Tens of thousands of mostly student
protesters are demanding Beijing give them full democracy, with the
freedom to nominate election candidates, but China recently announced
that it would not go that far.
As
riot police withdrew on Monday, weary protesters slept beside roads or
sheltered from the sun beneath umbrellas, which have become a symbol of
what some are calling the "Umbrella Revolution". In addition to
protection from the elements, umbrellas have been used as flimsy shields
against pepper spray.
Source: Reuters...More...
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