Hong Kong’s leader has claimed that “external forces” are participating in student-led pro-democracy protests that have occupied parts of this financial capital for more than three weeks, but provided no evidence to back his accusation.
Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying’s statement in a televised interview Sunday was the first time he has alleged foreign involvement in the unrest, echoing accusations by China’s central government, which also has not backed them with any evidence. Leung’s statement comes just before his government is scheduled to hold talks with student leaders on Tuesday.
When asked on the “Newsline” program about a Chinese official’s comments on outside involvement, Leung said, “There is obviously participation by people, organizations from outside of Hong Kong.” Leung added that the foreign actors came from “different countries in different parts of the world,” but didn’t specify which countries.
On Monday, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei repeated the charges without specifying who was inciting the protesters.
“Everybody has seen the fact that some people and some forces from the outside are indeed making attempts at interfering in Hong Kong’s affairs in order to affect Hong Kong’s development, and the fact that they have gone so far as to encourage, instigate and support illegal activities such as Occupy Central,” Hong said.
The Hong Kong Federation of Students immediately rejected the accusations, with Secretary General Alex Chow saying Leung was “just making it up.”
“He’s the chief executive, he’s an accountable official,” Chow told reporters. “If he’s putting forward these accusations, then we hope he also puts forward the evidence. But he shouldn’t just say that foreign powers are meddling without evidence.”
Protesters, mostly young college students, are pressing for a greater say in choosing the semiautonomous Chinese city’s leader in an inaugural direct election, promised by Beijing for 2017. They oppose Beijing’s ruling that a committee protesters say is stacked with pro-Beijing elites should screen candidates in the election. That effectively means that Beijing can vet candidates before they go to a public vote.
In what has almost become a daily pattern, the police have tried to drive away the students from some streets during the night, only to see them regroup and occupy the areas and resume their sit-ins.
