Leaders of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong have threatened to call off talks with the government after demonstrators were involved in scuffles with pro-Beijing supporters. The government must prevent “organised attacks on supporters of the Occupy movement”, they said. The protesters, angry at China’s plan to vet election candidates, have been occupying parts of the city. They had earlier accepted an offer of talks from Hong Kong’s chief executive. In the commercial district of Mong Kok, on the Kowloon peninsula, opponents of the demonstrators dismantled tents. Many local residents have been angered by the disruption caused by the protests. Police linked arms to try to separate the opposing groups. Similar scuffles took place in Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island, where residents tried to remove barricades put up by pro-democracy protesters. “If the government does not immediately prevent the organised attacks on supporters of the Occupy movement, the students will call off dialogue on political reform with the government,” said a statement by the three main protest groups.Source : BBC Online
