Pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong appear to be withdrawing from some protest sites and regrouping at the main site outside government buildings. But student protesters denied blocking entrances to government HQ and insisted civil servants could return to work. They said they would agree to the government’s offer of talks if attacks on them were investigated and protest sites were not forcefully cleared. Hong Kong’s leader says public offices and schools will open on Monday. The protesters are angry at China’s plans to vet election candidates in 2017. They are demanding that the central government in Beijing allow Hong Kong to hold fully free elections in the next vote for the territory’s leader. Numbers dwindling But the BBC’s John Sudworth in Hong Kong says the feeling on the streets of the city is that the endgame is about to begin. The number of protesters has dwindled and many do not relish a brave last stand in the face of an expected forceful eviction by police, he adds. Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung had called on the protesters to end the demonstrations, warning that police had a responsibility to take all actions necessary to resume social order. The Hong Kong Federation of Students (HKFS) said it had always maintained access to the government headquarters, adding that there was no reason for employees not to return to work on Monday. At the scene: Julianna Liu, BBC News, Mong Kok After days of tension, a measure of calm has come to the commercial district of Mong Kok, the site of sometimes violent confrontations between pro-democracy activists and counter-protesters. Earlier, there were scenes of confusion when, under pressure from an unfriendly crowd, a student leader announced on live television that demonstrators would pack up and leave the area, moving to the main protest site in Admiralty and ceding ground to their opponents. It was seen as a blow to the sit-in movement. That group left. But others refused to leave and soon took its place. Members from a more radical pro-democracy group called Civic Passion arrived, as did lawmaker Raymond Wong and his supporters. For now, Mong Kok remains a stronghold for demonstrators, with hundreds sitting on the ground demanding democratic reforms. Source : BBC online
