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From left, Hong Kong Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Raymond Tam Chi-yuen, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam and Constitutional Affairs Undersecretary Lau Kong-wah hold a news conference in Hong Kong, Oct. 9, 2014.
 
Last updated on: October 09, 2014 12:19 PM
 
HONG KONG—Hong Kong authorities have canceled talks with pro-democracy protesters occupying parts of the city after they vowed to step up civil disobedience.
 
The protest leader said increased pressure was needed ahead of the talks to ensure progress toward direct elections, and urged supporters to continue occupying public spaces
 
Alex Chow of the Hong Kong Federation of Students on Thursday blamed the government for the stall in negotiations, saying the students had not done anything to provoke the action.
 
Chow ridiculed the government’s decision to cancel the talks.
 
“Hong Kong is an international metropolitan city. This move by the government – this response by the government, is absolutely an international laughing stock,” he said.
 
Link to possibly illegal actions
 
Late Thursday, Hong Kong Chief Secretary Carrie Lam had canceled the widely anticipated talks with pro-democracy protest leaders.
 
Lam said the government does not want to be linked with possibly illegal actions, which is how China has described the protests.
 
“We cannot accept the fact that someone will link the talks with possible continued illegal Occupy (Central) actions,” Lam said.
 
In an evening press conference, Hong Kong’s second-in-charge said the protesters were not acting in good faith by threatening to expand a two-week demonstration occupying central parts of the city.
 
Earlier Thursday, a group of student leaders said they would not disperse the sit-ins that have paralyzed parts of the city for nearly two weeks.
 
The leaders from Occupy Central, the Federation of Students, and Scholarism also threatened to occupy more areas and hold additional school boycotts if their demands are not met.