Riot police launch tear gas into the crowd as thousands of protesters surround the government headquarters in Hong Kong.
Last updated on: September 28, 2014 1:34 PM
BEIJING—Hong Kong’s leader has pledged to hold election reform talks soon in response to growing street protests in the port city.
But Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying’s request that thousands of demonstrators disperse and stop participating in what he called “illegal” protest efforts to block key city streets was ignored.
Authorities in Hong Kong repeatedly fired tear gas at protesters late Sunday and pledged to take even tougher actions if they did not disperse.
Meanwhile, some Hong Kong financial firms advised staff to work from home on Monday or go to secondary offices after demonstrators clashed with police on Sunday, Reuters reported later Sunday.
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, whose offices overlook one of the main protest sites, told staff to “be cautious and avoid large gatherings” and advised managers to consider measures, including working from home, at clients’ offices or at an alternative location, according to an email from the firm seen by Reuters.
Companies including consultants EY and CITIC Securities International, which are across the street from Hong Kong government headquarters where student activists started the protests, also told their staff to work remotely.
DBS Group Holdings, Singapore’s biggest bank, will temporarily suspend services at its branch in the Admiralty neighborhood because of instability in the area, a bank spokesman said.
Pushing matches
At times on Sunday there were angry pushing matches between police armed with pepper spray and shields and protesters.
Pro-democracy protesters were also seen holding their hands in the air and repeatedly marching slowly toward police who fired tear gas outside government headquarters.
One student protestor called on the government to address days of demonstrations.
“I really hope that the government can come out to face the people. We have experienced five days of boycott of classes and two nights occupying here, we are not here to make disorder but to urge the government to face the people and students,” the student said.
Work resumes on Monday in Hong Kong, and demonstrators are seeking to blockade parts of the city to protest recently revealed election guidelines from Beijing.
China’s role in election
China said Hong Kong residents can elect their next leader in 2017, but they can only choose from a pool of only three candidates vetted by Beijing.
Demonstrators are calling for authorities to release protesters who have already been arrested and for true universal suffrage.
Police said several people suffered minor injuries in the clashes.
