Thousands march in Hong Kong in escalating battle for democracy

[okaawhatever]

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - Thousands protested in Hong Kong on Wednesday pressing China to allow full democracy in the city as a battle intensifies over Beijing's attempts to control the outcome of a planned direct election for the city's leader in 2017.

Beijing had promised direct elections in the former British colony as the goal for 2017, but the devil is in the details of the rules governing who can run.

Pressure has been building between democratic forces in the financial hub, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997, and China's stability-obsessed Communist Party leaders who fear a rival democrat being voted into office.

Protesters at the annual New Year's Day democracy rally shouted slogans demanding full democracy in 2017, with a key condition being the open nominations of candidates so that anyone, including China critics, can run for office.

Continued at Link

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/01/us-hongkong-democracy-idUSBREA0005420140101?feedType=RSS,feedName=worldNews

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"...so that anyone, including China critics, can run for office." I don't see that happening, but I hope they're successful.

[TomCADem]

1. I Hope This Ends Well Or Its Tinamen II

nt

[pampango]

2. "Mainland Chinese tourists took pictures of the march as protesters chanted "End one-party rule!"

China, which took back Hong Kong in 1997, has promised that its people will be able to vote in 2017 for their next chief executive. Currently the leader is elected by a 1,200-strong pro-Beijing committee.

But many pro-democrats fear that China will control the choice of candidates to secure the election of a sympathetic official.

"This rally will give the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) a clear message that if you don't give us real democracy, there will be direct action from the people," he said.

Mimicking the Occupy protests of 2011 in cities such as New York and London, some activists have threatened to take over the streets of Hong Kong's business district later this year to try to force officials to guarantee a fair electoral system.

Nice find, okaawhatever. I wonder how many of those "mainland Chinese tourists" were really that (dangerous for 'tourists' to take those images home) and how many were plainclothes security people.

[MADem]

3. "Sure, youse guys can have democracy....so long as wese guys count da votes!" nt