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HK leader calls for \\\'return to order\\\'

Sunday, 5 October 2014


Hong Kong's leader has warned protesters that police will take "all actions necessary" to ensure government offices and schools reopen on Monday, reports BBC.
In a televised speech on Saturday, CY Leung called on demonstrators to allow the government and citizens to "resume their normal work and life".
His comments came after street fights led to the postponement of talks between protesters and the government.
Activists are angry at China's plans to vet candidates to replace Mr Leung.
Protesters have been occupying parts of the city for just over a week to demand free elections in 2017.
Speakers addressed a growing crowd in the city's business district on Saturday, and the BBC's Babita Sharma, in Hong Kong, says the anti-violence demonstration is one of the largest yet, with "tens of thousands" on the streets.
Earlier this week, Chief Executive CY Leung offered talks to defuse the situation but they were postponed by protest groups after clashes on Friday.
Mr Leung said he "strongly condemned" the violence but warned that it was likely to continue unless "social order" resumed.
"The government and the police have the responsibility and resolution to take all actions necessary to resume social order and let the government and all seven million citizens resume their normal work and life," he said.
He said the "most urgent thing" was for protesters to allow government staff to return to work and to clear main roads so schools can reopen on Monday. The BBC's John Sudworth in Hong Kong says that although he did not explicitly threaten to clear the streets by force, C Y Leung's televised address sounded every bit like an ultimatum.
The Hong Kong Federation of Students withdrew from planned negotiations following several street fights on Friday, accusing the government of allowing gangs to attack protesters, a claim denied by Hong Kong's security chief, Lai Tung-kwok. Police said they had arrested 19 people who had been involved in the fighting, adding that eight of them had "triad backgrounds".
Correspondents say triads have traditionally been known for drug-running, prostitution and extortion networks but have in recent years become involved in legitimate ventures like property development and finance.
Some are also believed to have links with the political establishment, fuelling accusations that they have been paid by the authorities to stir up trouble.
At the heart of the row between the protesters and the government is China's insistence on tight rules on nominations for candidates wanting to stand for election in 2017.
The protesters say the restrictions mean the polls will fall short of the free elections they are seeking and have called for Mr Leung to step down.
But the central government in Beijing has thrown its full support behind Mr Leung, calling the protests illegal and "doomed to fail".