Zeal of youth humbles HK old protesters

HONG KONG, Sept 30 (AP): The zeal and determination of young protesters in Hong Kong are prompting deep soul-searching among older residents of the Chinese territory wracked by unrest.

With fired-up young people in the city pulling out all the stops to spoil China's celebrations this week to mark 70 years of Communist Party rule, older generations in the former British colony that reverted to Chinese sovereignty in 1997 are asking: When we were their age, did we do enough to push for the full democracy that youngsters are now demanding?

Often, they answer with a sheepish "No."

Support, even if just from the sidelines, that older citizens of Hong Kong are displaying for the tens of thousands of young demonstrators is making an already complex problem for Hong Kong's leaders more intractable.