Distrust of Beijing hits post-handover high, as students step up action
Students charge chief executive after boycott moves to Tamar complex
Leung Chun-ying's security staff and police held a dozen "striking" students at bay after they rushed towards the chief executive as he left his office yesterday morning. Leung then beat a hasty retreat into the building.
The latest display of anger coincided with the release of an opinion poll showing that Hongkongers' distrust of the central government had reached its highest level since June 1995.
Watch: Striking student leaders attempt to meet HK's chief executive leads to scuffle with police
The survey by the University of Hong Kong's public opinion programme also found the proportion of respondents who lack confidence in the "one country, two systems" formula is at its highest since the poll began in 1993.
"The latest changes in the survey figures are no doubt related to political reform, for reasons there's no need to mention," said Robert Chung Ting-yiu, director of the programme.
Some 52 per cent of the 1,000 people interviewed by telephone between September 4 and 11 said they did not trust the central government, while only 30 per cent expressed trust.
Some 53 per cent said they had no confidence in the "one country, two systems" formula, compared with 37 per cent who held the opposite opinion.
Beijing's restrictive framework for electoral reform issued last month was the reason for the Hong Kong Federation of Students' call to strike this week.
A strike by secondary school pupils on Friday will add to tensions as the Occupy Central sit-in draws near, with October 1 looking the likely date for it to begin.
On day two of the federation's action, students moved their class boycott to government headquarters in Admiralty for a series of lectures by academics. Organisers said 4,000 students and members of the public took part.
They are calling on Leung and other senior officials to resign unless Beijing allows an open nomination process for candidates in 2017, when Hongkongers can choose their leader by universal suffrage for the first time.
Watch: Hundreds of students gather in Tamar Park during class boycott
Alex Chow Yong-kang, the federation's secretary general, said students might escalate their actions as early as tonight if Leung failed to address the public. Chow said one plan being considered was for students to take action before the Occupy Central sit-in by blocking areas around the Tamar complex.
After his encounter yesterday, Leung said: "I fully identify with the demands of the students and I hope we can all elect the chief executive using 'one person, one vote' soon." He did not say if he would meet the students.
Kelvin Leung, a Form Four pupil from St Joseph's Anglo-Chinese School in Choi Hung, said he had skipped a whole day of school to attend the lectures. He expected to be punished by his school, but believed that joining the strike would help put pressure Beijing into reversing its decision.
At least 16 pupils at Hoi Ping Chamber of Commerce Secondary School in Ho Man Tin held their one-day strike early yesterday because the school will be on holiday on Friday.
Leaders of the Civil Human Rights Front, whose application for a march on National Day - October 1 - from Victoria Park was rejected by the government, said they would rally in Chater Road, Central, instead. They said Occupy organisers would have to decide if the rally would be the prelude to a mass sit-in.
