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HK hunger strike new extreme for protest

(Global Times)    08:08, December 03, 2014
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On Tuesday, Benny Tai Yiu-ting, Chan Kin-man and Chu Yiu-ming, three founders of Hong Kong's Occupy Central movement, announced that they would surrender to police on Wednesday. But it doesn't mean this is the end of the protests. On Monday night, Joshua Wong, a radical teen protest leader, proclaimed that along with two other teenagers, he is going on hunger strike. This is an attempt to raise more tensions.

It can be assured that these teenagers cannot have a full understanding of democracy and the "One Country, Two Systems" policy. Occupy Central is not a game between the Hong Kong government and a bunch of kids.

A US State Department spokesperson called for "Hong Kong's authorities to exercise restraint," and some British members of Parliament, who had said they were going to Hong Kong to look into the handling of the protests, were denied entry. But for the exhausted teen protesters, this kind of Western interference, which they see as encouragement and support, is badly needed.

There is a long-running debate about how Western interference relates to the turbulence of many places around the world. Some radical protesters in Hong Kong are longing to have the backing of some powerful Western countries, in the hope that more Hongkongers will be inspired and Chinese mainland society might even panic.

In light of what they have done, Hong Kong's opposition parties do not have the insight to carry forward a political campaign. Their actions, by pushing society into chaos for two months, have gone way beyond their original aims. The goal of the Occupy movement has in no way been met. The opposition might hope their political leverage could be boosted by making Hongkongers feel wary of the mainland. If so, they would be no longer the opposition acting within the boundaries of the rule of law, because the chaos they bring will make them enemies of the state. They will not have slightest chance of making a real difference, even with the support of their Western allies.

Violent street politics have swept across many countries in the developing world. Extremism is not in line with social interests, and the so-called prowess and aspiration attached to extreme activities are only self-deceiving.

By relying on the West to go against the entire country, which has a population of 1.3 billion, and instigating some radical teenagers to damage Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability, the extreme opposition in Hong Kong will find their dream still distant.

It's hard to decipher how these radical protesters are so confident that both mainland society and the central government will compromise. In fact, we believe the central government will not be tempted into taking action too easily. It will keep calm and hold its nerve.

When the majority of Hongkongers finally see the true face of these radicals, knowing how they are ruining the city, Hong Kong will abandon them for good.

(For the latest China news, please follow @PDChina on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/PDChina and @PeoplesDaily on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/PeoplesDaily)

(Editor:Yuan Can、Zhang Qian)
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