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            Hong Kong Democracy Protesters Look for Outside Support

   by Steve Herman

   Pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong have been greeted mostly with
   silence by foreign governments, frustrating protest organizers.

   Many countries in the region are not democracies, while others may be
   hesitant to release statements that would almost certainly draw the ire
   of Hong Kong's powerful overseer, the Chinese government.

    "Once again, democratic govs are not speaking up for democracy" as it
   relayed the U.S. consulate's statement, which it described as
   "mealy-mouthed," The Twitter feed of Occupy Central lamented.

   '`We do not take sides'

   The two paragraph statement, issued by the consulate midday Monday,
   noted the United States' strong support for Hong Kong's fundamental
   freedoms, "such as freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom of expression,
   and freedom of the press."

   It added: "We do not take sides in the discussion of Hong Kong's
   political development, nor do we support any particular individuals or
   groups involved in it."  The consulate called for "all sides to refrain
   from actions that would further escalate tensions, to exercise
   restraint, and to express views" on Hong Kong's political future in a
   peaceful manner.

   The foreign office of the United Kingdom said Monday it is carefully
   monitoring events and "expresses concern about the situation in Hong
   Kong and encourages all parties to engage in constructive criticism."

   Thousands of demonstrators kept vigil Monday at key intersections in
   the special administrative region of China, but the Hong Kong
   government said it had withdrawn riot police after the previous
   evening's chaos because "citizens have mostly calmed down."

   ''The unpopular Hong Kong chief executive C.Y. Leung, whom
   demonstrators are calling on to resign, denied rumors troops of the
   People's Liberation Army would be deployed to crush the protest
   movement.

   Civic and religious organizations expressed dismay that police lobbed
   tear gas canisters and shot pepper spray at peaceful protestors Sunday.

   Scant evidence of unruly protesters

   Police maintained they used minimal force in order to keep a safe
   distance between protestors and officers.  At a news conference, the
   police also accused demonstrators of using violence, compelling their
   use of force.

   There was scant evidence of any acts of violence by protestors.  Many
   on social media noted how peaceful the street action had been.

   The founder of the Hong Kong Writers' Circle, Lawrence Gray, on
   Twitter, remarked that only in Hong Kong "do protestors recycle water
   bottles and don't even smash a window."

   A statement from the Hong Kong Bar Association said the organization
   "is deeply disturbed by, and deplores and condemns, the excessive and
   disproportionate use of force" by police, noting that many of the
   demonstrators, who were conducting themselves peacefully, were
   students.

   The lawyers' group warned the police response "had unnecessarily
   aggravated public feelings of resentment and frustration."

   Cardinal John Tong signed an "urgent appeal" issued by the Catholic
   Diocese of Hong Kong calling for the government "to put the personal
   safety of fellow citizens as [its] prime concern" and to "exercise
   restraint and listen to the voice of the younger generation and of
   citizens from all walks of life."

   Broader support

   Besides a strike by students, which began Friday, the movement also
   garnered support Monday from a growing diverse segment of the general
   population.

   Numerous companies, including Swire Coca-Cola HK Limited, confirmed
   that some workers had gone on strike to express support for the aims of
   the fledgling movement.

   Employees of Apple stores in Hong Kong circulated a petition calling
   for CEO Tim Cook and the U.S.-based computer and smartphone
   manufacturer to "support and help our civil disobedience campaign, and
   also to respond to the fight of Hong Kong people."

   More than 1,000 Apple workers in Hong Kong signed the petition,
   according to reports.

   Monday afternoon, about 1,000 social workers and students converged on
   Polytechnic University for a rally organized by the Confederation of
   Trade Unions, which said many social workers planned to stop working
   until the Occupy movement ends.

   The original demonstration, organized by the Occupy Central, morphed
   into a larger and spontaneous action Sunday at several locations to
   call for Hong Kong's leaders to be elected without interference from
   Beijing.

   On Twitter, the #OccupyCentral hashtag to follow the protest activities
   spawned others, such as #OccupyHongKong and #UmbrellaRevolution, the
   latter a reference to the inverted parasols deployed by demonstrators
   to deflect tear gas canisters and pepper spray.

   Tourism, economic impact

   The scenes of thousands of protesters massed in Asia's financial hub
   has not appeared to have any significant immediate impact on tourism.

   Australia and Italy are among the first countries to issue travel
   alerts.

   Australia's low level warning cautioned its citizens traveling to Hong
   Kong of "significant disruption to traffic and public transport
   services" in affected areas.

   The primary initial ramifications and concern for the former British
   colony are primarily related to economic activities, in keeping with
   Hong Kong's robust capitalistic reputation.

   The benchmark Hang Seng stock index closed Monday down 449 points,
   equivalent to 1.9 percent.

   The Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the de facto central bank, stated it
   stands ready "to inject liquidity into the banking system as and when
   necessary."

   With roads into the Central business district blocked Monday banks kept
   some branches closed and advised staff to go to other branches or work
   from home.

   The ratings agency Fitch said there is no immediate concern for Hong
   Kong's AA+ rating with a stable outlook.

   "It would be negative if the protests are on a wide enough scale and
   last long enough to have a material effect on the economy or financial
   stability," according to Andrew Colquoun, head of Fitch's Asia-Pacific
   Sovereigns. "But we don't currently see this as very likely."

   `This will end badly'

   Some other veteran China hands are more pessimistic.

   On Twitter, U.S.-China Institute senior fellow and former CNN
   correspondent Mike Chinoy said: "I covered Tiananmen in '89. I see no
   way the Chinese government can tolerate what is happening in HK.
   Greatly fear this will end badly."

   An editorial in China's Global Times blamed U.S. media for "attempting
   to mislead and stir up Hong Kong society" by linking the street
   movement to Tiananmen Square uprising a quarter of a century ago in
   Beijing.

   October 1 will mark the 65th anniversary of the founding of the
   People's Republic of China.  With pro-democracy demonstrators still on
   the streets and no end in sight to the movement, Hong Kong's government
   has announced the cancellation of the annual National Day fireworks
   show in Victoria Harbor out of "regard to public transport arrangement
   and public safety considerations."
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   or-outside-support/2465930.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/hong-kong-democracy-protesters-look-for-outside-support/2465930.html