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Jeffie Lam

Alan Yu

Pro-democracy protesters should consider ending road blockades and refocus on winning the long-term support of the public, one of the co-founders of Occupy Central said yesterday.
Dr Chan Kin-man said that if the public wanted the street protests - now in their eighth week - to end, they may no longer be the best way to fight for democracy.
He was speaking after a Chinese University poll released on Sunday showed that 67 per cent of those questioned wanted the protests to end.
"If the Occupy movement has already stirred up considerable social grievances, it signals that the disruption it caused might have exceeded the [acceptable] level and thus [protesters] should change their methods of struggle," Chan, a sociologist at the university, wrote in Ming Pao.
Occupy first came up with the idea of mass sit-ins for democracy and has helped organise the student-led protests.

Chan said protesters should consider making the occupation more about the democratic and non-violent spirit of the "umbrella movement" by promoting this idea within the community.
That would be instead of "putting all the emphasis solely on the occupied zones and handing over other communities to the anti-Occupy forces, as is the case now", he said.
Chan's remarks came after Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor ruled out further dialogue with protesters over their request for a greater say in the election of the city's leaders - and as a small part of the camp in Admiralty was dismantled in accordance with a court order.
If immediate retreat was impossible, Chan said protesters should consider ending protests in Mong Kok and Causeway Bay and limiting the occupation to Admiralty, to minimise the impact on residents. He said activists should also mull a retreat if pan-democratic lawmakers resigned to trigger a "de facto referendum" on democracy, as five lawmakers did in 2010.
Chio Ka-fai, a representative of the Federation of Students, said he agreed with Chan that the protesters needed to prepare for a long-term struggle and talk to more people outside the protest zones. He said they had already sought opinions by knocking on doors to see what people thought about Occupy.
However, he disagreed with Chan's suggestion that protesters should consider leaving.
"We're here only because we want the government to respond. So if we leave before the government does anything, it's a bit like an unconditional surrender or a show of weakness," he said.
Federation secretary general Alex Chow Yong-kang said reducing the area of occupation had been on the agenda long ago, but emphasised that the move should be based on agreement among protesters.
Protester Winona Tse Man-yan had reservations about a proposed retreat, but said limiting the protest zone might help soothe public discontent.
Meanwhile, Chan also announced yesterday that he had resigned as head of Chinese University's Centre for Civil Society Studies, which he co-founded. It focuses on developing civil society across China. He expected he would no longer be allowed to travel to the mainland for academic purposes and that he may face court cases. He remains an associate professor of sociology.
In September, Chan, who had already resigned from the Universities Service Centre for China Studies last year, told the  Post that he did not regret "for a single minute" initiating the civil disobedience movement because he saw it as his responsibility.
Dr Wong Hung, an associate professor in the university's social work department, will take over at the Centre for Civil Society Studies, according to Chan.
Separately, two University of Hong Kong graduates were denied entry to the mainland last night when they tried to cross the border at Lo Wu. Former HKU Student's Union president Laurence Tang Yat-long and the union's former general secretary Dickson Chau Ka-faat said they were detained and questioned by officials for an hour and denied entry because they might "jeopardise national security" and "breach mainland laws". At least nine students have been barred from entering the mainland since the protests began.
 


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Occupy Central

Hong Kong protesters urged to refocus struggle on long-term goal

Some protesters ruled out any moves to end their blockades, saying it would be a "show of weakness" after eight weeks of the campaign. Photo: Felix Wong

Some barricades near to government headquarters in Admiralty were removed on Tuesday. Photo: Sam Tsang

Dr Chan Kin-man, one of the co-founders of Occupy Central. Photo: Edward Wong

Hong Kong protesters show little resistance as bailiffs remove barriers in Admiralty

Protesters stand on the barricades. Photo: Sam Tsang

Bailiffs remove barriers outside Citic Tower. Photo: Felix Wong

Bailiffs remove barricades in front of the mass ranks of the media. Photo: Felix Wong

Students offered no resistance as bailiffs removed barriers. Photo: Felix Wong

A legal representative reads out the court order before action to remove barricades. Photo: Felix Wong

News

Hong Kong

Pro-democracy protesters should consider ending road blockades and refocus on winning the long-term support of the public, one of the co-founders of Occupy Central said yesterday.
