Pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong saw their ranks thinned on Monday as they prepared for formal talks with the government on demands for free elections.
Civil servants poured back into offices after students removed some barricades in response to an ultimatum from the city's leader to restore access or face possible police action. Protesters won't withdraw totally until there are concessions from the government, Alex Chow, secretary-general of the Hong Kong Federation of Student, said on Monday.
With the rallies going into an eleventh day, the number of demonstrators fell into the hundreds from a peak of as many as 200,000. Police allowed barriers erected by demonstrators to remain on roads unmanned after student leaders said they would pull out of talks aimed at resolving the city's biggest upheaval since the 1960s if protest sites weren't protected.
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"I'm sure people will thin out because people get worn out," Next Media Ltd. Chairman Jimmy Lai, publisher of the Hong Kong newspaper that's most-critical of Chinese rule and an advocate of the protesters, said in an interview. "I'm sure the government in the talks will promise something that will appease people temporarily. But when promises are broken, people will come back." Student leaders met with government officials on Sunday to map out further talks with the city's second-highest ranking official, Carrie Lam.
The protests were triggered by China's decision that candidates for chief executive in the 2017 elections be vetted by a committee. Pro-democracy groups say that will guarantee the candidates' obedience to China. They are seeking a more open system, as well as the resignation of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying.
Stocks rose
Hong Kong's benchmark stock index and its currency rose in trading as a sense of normalcy returned to the city of 7.2 million people on Monday. The Hang Seng Index rose 1.1 per cent at the close, the most in a month. The Hong Kong dollar rose 0.06 per cent to HK$7.7568 versus the greenback as of 6:33 pm local time, the strongest level since September 26, following a 0.03 per cent gain on October 3, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Secondary schools in two districts resumed after being shut last week and primary schools will resume on Tuesday, the city's education bureau said.
In the Central business district, bankers and traders returned to work. Citigroup Inc said disruptions have been limited. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority have asked banks to resume services as soon as possible, it said in a statement. Seven bank branches remained closed, it said. Almost 50 branches were shut at the peak of the protests last week. Protesters numbered in the hundreds at Admiralty, the main protest site, while dozens were at Causeway Bay and Mong Kok, two popular shopping districts.
Happy Birthday
Demonstrators were mocked in Causeway Bay and Mong Kok, as some people criticised them for the blockades, with the protesters responding by singing "Happy Birthday." While tensions eased, the students' main demands -- Leung's resignation and China standing down on plans to vet candidates - - have been rejected out of hand, complicating chances of a negotiated solution. There are also signs that many of the remaining protesters don't answer to the student leaders.
"Any decision will be taken to a vote among all present," said Sunny Cheung, 18, a student protester at Causeway Bay. "If the police clear us by force, we will leave because personal safety is our top priority. But if our aim of natural suffrage is not achieved, we will keep regathering here or somewhere else." Removing Barricades
As students began removing some barricades yesterday near the government offices, where 3,000 civil servants work, other protesters appeared to reinstate them. When leaders of Occupy Central with Love and Peace, a group allied with the students, called for demonstrators to leave the Mong Kok site yesterday for fears of renewed attacks on protesters there, numbers swelled rather than diminished.
"The leaders of the protesters don't have very good discipline over their participants," said Michael Davis, a law professor at the University of Hong Kong. "So they have a hard time doing what I suspect they want to do, which is to declare a victory in round one and withdraw, and then go to round two if the government is non-responsive and offers the usual indifference and lecture on Beijing's requirements." Tear Gas
The protests began on Sept. 26 when students stormed the premises of the government headquarters. The numbers of demonstrators surged after Sept. 28 when police used pepper spray and tear gas on unarmed students.
Students estimated that as many as 200,000 people demonstrated on Oct. 2 at the three sites -- Admiralty, Mong Kok and Causeway Bay -- in the biggest challenge to the Chinese Communist Party's authority over the city since the then-British colony was handed back in 1997. Police haven't given any estimates on the size of the crowds.
"Right now it appears the blockades should dissipate in the next few days," said Cliff Tan, the Hong Kong-based East Asia head of research for Mitsubishi UFJ, whose office is located in the Central business district. "Talks with the government will begin, but the problem is that the protesters do not have a central negotiating position." Government Talks
The government and students have not announced a second round of talks, though pressure is building on them from all camps to end the protests. Leading academics, including Hong Kong Baptist University President Albert Chan, and both pan- democratic and pro-Beijing politicians have called for an end to the demonstrations to avoid further violence.
Police so far have done little to remove even unmanned barricades, leaving some roads that are completely clear of protesters closed to car traffic.
"I think the momentum is still here, but the student leaders should really set a deadline on how much longer the sit- in should take," said Felix Wong, who was one of the protesters sitting outside Leung's office this morning. "Otherwise, the voice of the opposition side will get stronger and the students will lose support."
