Hong Kong protesters give ground but aren't leaving
October 6, 2014 -- Updated 0945 GMT (1745 HKT)
Source: CNN
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- A key road near the protest site reopens to traffic Monday morning
- A student leader says the ball is now in the government's court
- Crowds are noticeably thinner at the main protest site
- The government says vehicles are still being blocked from entering offices
Hong Kong (CNN) -- Pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong gave some ground Monday, vacating a key road and clearing a path for government workers to enter offices.
But they ignored a request from authorities to disperse altogether, making it unclear how and when the lengthy standoff in the heart of one of Asia's financial capitals will end.
Crowds at the main protest site, which sprawls along multi-lane highway near the central government headquarters, were noticeably thinner Monday than on previous days.
A key road adjacent to the office of Hong Kong's top leader, Chief Executive C.Y. Leung, opened back up. But about 40 protesters remained sitting near the building, which had become a focal point of tensions.
Demonstrators also let government workers gain access to the offices along a footbridge over the protest site.
The student-led protesters have taken to the streets for more than a week to oppose a decision by the central Chinese government about how future elections will work the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.
No clear leader
Commentators have described the protest movement as one of the biggest challenges for China's ruling Communist Party since the Tiananmen Square demonstrations in 1989, which ended in a bloody military crackdown.
The Chinese government has said it has confidence that the Hong Kong government can handle the situation on its own. But Leung's repeated calls for protesters to go home and let traffic in the city return to normal have so far had little effect.
Part of the Hong Kong government's challenge is that the protest movement has no clear leader. Several students and activists have come to represent the demonstrators, but it remains uncertain how much sway their decisions carry among the people on the streets.
Opinions vary considerably among protesters about what the methods and aims of the decentralized movement should be.
One of the student leaders said Monday it was up to the government to take the next step after protesters allowed access to the central offices.
The question now is "whether the government is willing to have a dialogue or not," said Alex Chow, the secretary general of the Hong Kong Federation of Students. "This responsibility, this ball, is actually in the government's court."
Government not satisfied
Student leaders have said they will continue the protest until they have productive talks with the government.
But the government suggested Monday that the protesters needed to do more to improve the situation, saying in a statement that demonstrators were still preventing vehicles from getting to the central offices.
Government workers arriving at the headquarters expressed optimism and reported no problems with their commutes.
"I am quite sure that the situation will become better," said Terence Mui, a civil servant.
He said his feelings about the protests were "quite mixed," acknowledging the demonstrators' cause but expressing a wish to continue fulfilling his duties as a public official.
Merchants say businesses suffering
Other Hong Kong residents have shown less patience with the protesters.
Violent clashes broke out on Friday and Saturday between protesters and people opposed to the sit-ins at one of the satellite protest sites, in the densely populated commercial district of Mong Kok.
Merchants have expressed anger that the demonstrations are driving customers away. Protesters say police aren't doing enough to protect them from physical attacks by groups of men.
Police say officers did their duty and arrested at least 30 people amid the clashes, including some with links to organized crime.
Distrust has been deep between the demonstrators and authorities since police used tear gas and pepper spray in a failed attempt to disperse the largely peaceful protests last week.
The tough tactics backfired, shocking many Hong Kong residents and appearing to rally support for the protesters.
Origins of the unrest
Demonstrators are upset with a decision this summer by China's ruling Communist Party to let a committee stacked with Beijing loyalists choose who can run as a candidate for the chief executive role in the 2017 election.
A new electoral system will, for the first time, let the city's 5 million eligible voters pick a winner rather than the largely pro-Beijing committee of 1,200 members that has chosen past leaders. But critics argue that the right to vote is pointless if the candidates are handpicked by Beijing.
They complain the Chinese government is encroaching too heavily on the affairs of Hong Kong, which has been governed according to the "one country, two systems" policy since Britain handed it back to China in 1997.
The Chinese and Hong Kong governments have declared the demonstrations illegal. Beijing has heavily restricted the flow of information on the Chinese mainland about the protest movement.
CNN's Kyung Lah, Elizabeth Joseph and Tim Hume contributed to this report. Translator Daisy Ng and journalist Eudora Wong contributed to this report.
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