HK govt calls off talks
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(The Straits Times/ANN) - It is back to square one. The Hong Kong government has called off talks with pro-democracy protest leaders who, in turn, want to continue paralysing the city by occupying some key thoroughfares and districts.
Chief Secretary Carrie Lam, who would have represented the government in talks originally scheduled for this afternoon, blamed the cancellation on the demands of the protest leaders.
She told reporters: "The students' call for an expansion of an uncooperative movement has shaken the trust of the basis of our talks and it will be impossible to have a constructive dialogue."
Signs that the talks were headed for a breakdown appeared yesterday afternoon, when student leaders called for crowds to gather at the main protest site at the scheduled time of the talks to put pressure on the authorities. They indicated that the protests would end only if the government made some concessions.
