HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s embattled leader made a dramatic U-turn yesterday reopening his offer of talks with student protesters a week after the government pulled out of discussions aimed at ending more than a fortnight of mass democracy rallies.
The offer by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying came a day after video footage of plainclothes officers beating a handcuffed demonstrator as he lay on the ground sparked widespread anger.
“Over the last few days... we expressed a wish to the students that we would like to start a dialogue to discuss universal suffrage as soon as we can and hopefully within the following week,” Leung said.
But question marks remain other whether fresh talks can make any substantive headway in the stalemate between the government and protesters.
Leung warned that Beijing had no intention of rescinding its insistence that his successor be vetted by a loyalist committee before standing for election in 2017 -- a core demand of protesters.
“Politics is the art of the possible and we have to draw a line between possibilities and impossibilities,” he said.
The Asian financial hub has been rocked by mass rallies for nearly three weeks calling both for full democracy and Leung’s resignation. Ongoing sit-ins at three major intersections have caused significant disruption to a city usually known for its stability. AFP
