Hong Kong protesters set for the long haul at self-sustaining village
26 Oct 2014 4:37 AM IST
Hong Kong protesters have created a self-sustaining village within a month of taking their call for democracy to the streets, setting up changing rooms, tents for hire, a study area, first-aid stations and even their own security patrols as they ready for the long haul.
What started out as hastily built barricades against police pepper spray and tear gas, relying mainly on cling film and umbrellas, has evolved into a fully fledged campus with carpeted stairs, water coolers, Wi-Fi and gas-fueled generators supporting mobile phones, desk lamps and amplifiers. And when rain pounds the village, which straddles a major thoroughfare in the heart of Hong Kong, dozens set to work.
Hong Kong returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997 under a ‘one country, two systems’ formula
that allows it wide-ranging autonomy and freedoms and specifies universal suffrage for choosing its leader as an ultimate goal.
But Communist Party leaders in Beijing have insisted on screening candidates for the job first, prompting the popular, and in the most part courteous, dissent.The student-led protesters now appear to be settling in indefinitely, even though the government is powerless to change the financial hub’s ‘Basic Law’ mini-constitution and go against Beijing rule.
The protesters have blocked major arteries on both sides of the picture-postcard harbor, with police sporadically clearing barricades in places. The camp at Admiralty, home to government offices and next to the Central business district, is the best organized and most settled.
What started out as hastily built barricades against police pepper spray and tear gas, relying mainly on cling film and umbrellas, has evolved into a fully fledged campus with carpeted stairs, water coolers, Wi-Fi and gas-fueled generators supporting mobile phones, desk lamps and amplifiers. And when rain pounds the village, which straddles a major thoroughfare in the heart of Hong Kong, dozens set to work.
Hong Kong returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997 under a ‘one country, two systems’ formula
that allows it wide-ranging autonomy and freedoms and specifies universal suffrage for choosing its leader as an ultimate goal.
But Communist Party leaders in Beijing have insisted on screening candidates for the job first, prompting the popular, and in the most part courteous, dissent.The student-led protesters now appear to be settling in indefinitely, even though the government is powerless to change the financial hub’s ‘Basic Law’ mini-constitution and go against Beijing rule.
The protesters have blocked major arteries on both sides of the picture-postcard harbor, with police sporadically clearing barricades in places. The camp at Admiralty, home to government offices and next to the Central business district, is the best organized and most settled.
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