BBC online :
Hong Kong’s government is ready for new talks with student protesters next week, its chief executive has said.
CY Leung was speaking after scuffles between protesters and police continued for a second night on a major road near government buildings.
He said officials had been negotiating with students via mediators this week.
The protests were sparked by a Chinese government ruling that limits who can stand as a candidate in Hong Kong’s leadership elections in 2017.
The demonstrations are in their third week, with protesters occupying key parts of the city to try to pressure the authorities to implement greater political reforms, including fully free elections.
Thousands of people took to the streets at the beginning of the demonstrations but the numbers have dwindled in recent days.
He said that the authorities would continue to restore order in Hong Kong in accordance with its laws “as quickly as we can”, including the normalisation of traffic.
China will not retract its decision to vet candidates eligible to stand in Hong Kong’s 2017 elections, he added.
Chief Secretary Carrie Lam cancelled scheduled talks with student leaders last week, saying it was impossible to have constructive dialogue with them while they continued to occupy key areas of the city.
Tensions between the two sides have escalated over the past two days, with serious clashes between police and protesters trying to re-occupy a main road near the chief executive’s offices.
Many demonstrators said they had returned to the area – an underpass on Lung Wo Road – after watching a video showing plainclothes police officers beating an unarmed protester, sparking public outrage.
But touching on the subject, Mr Leung told reporters on Thursday “we should not politicise this incident”.
The US has called for a swift, transparent and complete investigation into the incident.
Hong Kong’s Secretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok earlier said there was “concern” over the video, adding that the officers involved would be removed from duty and an investigation would be carried out.
The video shows the protester, named as social worker and member of the opposition Civic Party Ken, dragged handcuffed by police and thrown to the ground, then being assaulted for several minutes.
He was later taken to hospital. Mr Tsang’s lawyer, Dennis Kwok, told the BBC his client had serious injuries and that the beatings had continued while he was in custody.
