Hong Kong police use tear gas on protesters

[GandD 5,966]

BEIJING – Braving tear gas, pepper spray and police batons, thousands of Hong Kong residents protested Sunday in the Central financial district to demand free elections and other democratic changes in the semi-autonomous Chinese city.

The protests drew a tough response from police who declared them "illegal" and used tear gas after pepper spray and warnings of greater force failed to disperse demonstrators trying to join a sit-in outside the government headquarters.

The chaotic scene and mass civil disobedience are highly unusual in Hong Kong, a former British colony which returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Many residents of the commerce-focused city have grown frustrated in recent weeks at Beijing's refusal to allow a genuine choice of candidates for the 2017 vote for Hong Kong's leader, called the chief executive.

Sunday's demonstrators filled several Central district streets as part of a long-threatened campaign of civil disobedience called "Occupy Central with Peace and Love." The movement aims to paralyze the key business area and thereby pressure Hong Kong and mainland Chinese authorities to revise their election plans.

"Occupy" was expected to begin Wednesday, which is China's National Day and a public holiday, but it kicked off Sunday morning to build on the momentum of a week-long class boycott by college students that culminated in a sit-in and clashes at government headquarters Friday and Saturday.

Tensions have escalated in Hong Kong since late August, when Beijing announced its highly restrictive framework for the 2017 election, touted as the first time Hong Kong's 5 million eligible voters out of a population of 7.2 million will enjoy universal suffrage. Only two to three candidates can be on the ballot, and they will be picked by a Beijing-friendly committee.

Hong Kong was handed back to mainland control under a "one country, two systems" arrangement designed to preserve many civil liberties that exist only on paper in the rest of China. They include the right to protest, but the Hong Kong government described Sunday's demonstration as "unlawful."

The current chief executive, C.Y. Leung, said Sunday that there would be a further round of "consultations" on plans for 2017, but he also said that "resolute" action would be taken against the ongoing "illegal" demonstration.

Protesters Sunday included Hong Kong residents, students and well-known critics of Beijing. "Without sacrifice, we cannot have civil disobedience," media tycoon Jimmy Lai told the South China Morning Post newspaper. "The most important thing is that we use love and peace," he said. "The only power we have is moral power and if we become violent, we will lose this moral power."

Cardinal Joseph Zen, 82, the former Catholic bishop of Hong Kong, also spent time with the demonstrators. "It's high time that we really showed that we want to be free and not to be slaves. ... We must unite together," he told Reuters.

One of the demonstrators, Cecily Lui, 30, a clerk, told the Associated Press, "It was very cruel for the police to use such harsh violence on protesters who had been completely peaceful."

Hong Kong has seen large-scale marches in recent years, notably the annual commemoration of the crushing of the 1989 student movement in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/09/28/hong-kong-occupy-protests/16378965/

The wife has family over there. I saw a first hand video her cousin took with his phone. He was part of a large crowd on an over pass watching the police fire tear gas canisters into the crowd below. At the end of the video the police began firing tear gas into the crowds on the over pass. They were just watching and yelling at the police to stop hitting people.

[LibCampFireClub 635]

Keep in mind this in happening in Hong Kong, which is NOT mainland China. A lot of press tries to make it sound like it's China, and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) tries to make it sound like mainland and HK are one in the same, but, go there, look around, and you will plainly see they are not.

Not that it matters a whole lot, because it's the same shiite, different day over there. Filled with big money and corruption. Just done quite differently in Hong Kong, Macau, and Mainland. Mainland Chinese people cannot travel to HK without a special pass. Nearly all HK and Mainland police do NOT carry firearms. If you saw someone on America get into a police-person's face the way an HK or Mainland person does they would be swiss cheese. In China, they are much more tolerant. Surprised? Probably so. But, it's so.

HK people have their own government run under GB for a long time. They tasted freedom like their brethren in Taiwan and they will not let go. China is evolving a helluva lot more peacefully than the US did. With the exception of Ghenghis Khan, Emperor Qin, the Tang, the Song, and Mao did during the cultural revolution. They don't get democracy over there. At least the Western style of it. They love capitalism, just like Deng Xiao Ping said: "It's glorious to be rich."

There are more billionaires in China today than anywhere else in the world. I heard someone say that. Check it out.

[mike411 15]

What else do they expect from China? There is lots of money there and they want to share the wealth. You can't take part if you have no power.

Most of the secret billionaires in China are politicians. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Seems like democratic freedoms are taking a beating all around the world.

Feeling quite pessimistic for the future.

Edited September 30, 2014 by Hail Ming!

[GandD 5,966]

Seems like democratic freedoms are taking a beating all around the world.

Feeling quite pessimistic for the future.

You should be inspired that people will stand up and fight for it.

[Dan and Judy 614]

Keep in mind this in happening in Hong Kong, which is NOT mainland China. A lot of press tries to make it sound like it's China, and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) tries to make it sound like mainland and HK are one in the same, but, go there, look around, and you will plainly see they are not.

After ten or so years of working the farms in mainland China the arrogant Hong kenians will see the error of their ways. If they let Hong Kong get away with this, pretty soon everybody"s going to expect to get their way.

This puts us on a collision course with China in 10 years or so. Taiwan will not go willingly back into the fold. When China decides to take Taiwan by force we can either fight them or stand by with egg on our face.

[GandD 5,966]

After ten or so years of working the farms in mainland China the arrogant Hong kenians will see the error of their ways. If they let Hong Kong get away with this, pretty soon everybody"s going to expect to get their way.

This puts us on a collision course with China in 10 years or so. Taiwan will not go willingly back into the fold. When China decides to take Taiwan by force we can either fight them or stand by with egg on our face.

China will have to be able to defeat the us in the air and on the water before this can happen. I don't see that happening anytime in the near or even distant future. Their navy and air force is nothing compared to the US. In fact, a good argument could be made that the us navy could defeat the entire world's navy in a head to head fight.

[Operator 1,927]

China will have to be able to defeat the us in the air and on the water before this can happen. I don't see that happening anytime in the near or even distant future. Their navy and air force is nothing compared to the US. In fact, a good argument could be made that the us navy could defeat the entire world's navy in a head to head fight.

The PLA Air Force is ranked 3rd in the world behind Russia and the US. They have 1500 combat aircraft compared to our 3318 so in the air we have them.

On the sea they actually outnumber us in battle force ships.

http://www.globalfirepower.com/navy-ships.asp

[GandD 5,966]

The PLA Air Force is ranked 3rd in the world behind Russia and the US. They have 1500 combat aircraft compared to our 3318 so in the air we have them.

On the sea they actually outnumber us in battle force ships.

http://www.globalfirepower.com/navy-ships.asp

The Iraqi's outnumbered us horribly in the first gulf war. Numbers mean little on the water or the air where you cannot hide. Its all about the range and technology there. How many gun boats are worth an aircraft carrier?

[Dan and Judy 614]

China will have to be able to defeat the us in the air and on the water before this can happen. I don't see that happening anytime in the near or even distant future. Their navy and air force is nothing compared to the US. In fact, a good argument could be made that the us navy could defeat the entire world's navy in a head to head fight.

You have to remember they care a whole lot more about Taiwan than we do. We got caught with our pants down by under estimating the Japanese in WWII and the Chinese in the Korean war. They are working on submarines and aircraft carriers.

and cruise missiles Their economy is GDP is supposed to exceed ours in a couple of years. They currently are spending much less on military than we are but they can change that when they decide the time is right.