Hong Kong's leader and protesters agree to talks

HONG KONG — This city's embattled chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, offered late Thursday to hold talks with pro-democracy protesters who have swarmed this city for a week, but he refused to resign as they demanded.

The Federation of Hong Kong Students said in a statement early Friday it would join the talks, focusing on political changes. The students reiterated that Leung should step down because he "had lost his integrity."

Occupy Central, a broader group that joined the protests, welcomed the talks but also wants Leung to step down. Occupy Central "hopes the talks can provide a turning point in the current political stalemate," the group said in a statement. "We reiterate our view that Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying is the one responsible for the stalemate and that he must step down."

At a news conference, Leung said he asked the territory's top civil servant, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam, to arrange talks with the protesters, who call for free elections.

"I will not resign," Leung said.

Lam, standing next to him, said she would seek to meet with student leaders as soon as possible. "I hope both sides will be satisfied," she said. "Students had wanted a public meeting, but I hope that we can have some flexibility to discuss details."

Leung's offer "is not enough," said Mandy Lee, 26, an infant-formula saleswoman at Thursday's protest. "We need some constructive feedback and actual suggestions. It seems the government didn't hear anything from us."

Chan Heiman, 25, a marketing employee, worried that the offer of talks was a delaying tactic. "We need a breakthrough. Hong Kong people can't wait for too long," she said. "These days are critical to the movement, as there will be less people next week."

Leung said authorities would tolerate the protests as long as participants did not charge police lines. He urged the protesters to end their occupation of much of the downtown area.

"I urge students not to charge into or occupy government buildings. … It's not about my personal inconvenience," he said. "These few days, the protesters' occupation of key areas of the city has already seriously affected Hong Kong's economy, people's daily lives and government functioning."

Earlier Thursday, crowds swelled, and police prepared more riot gear as demonstrators threatened to occupy government buildings if Leung did not resign by midnight. Scuffles broke out as protesters tried to prevent police from moving what appeared to be tear gas and rubber bullets into the besieged government headquarters.

Hong Kong's police spokesman, Chief Superintendent Hui Chun-tak, did not rule out the use of tear gas and promised to use "appropriate force" if the situation escalated, the South China Morning Post newspaper reported.

Police would "not tolerate any illegal surrounding of government buildings," he said. The government called on the protest to end, so 3,000 government officers could return to work Friday after a two-day holiday marking the 65th anniversary of the Communist Party's rule over China.

Police used tear gas and pepper spray Sunday night to disperse protesters, a move that prompted even more demonstrators to turn out in subsequent days. Since then, police have shown restraint, and the demonstrators have been peaceful and orderly, even picking up their litter.

In an effort to shift the protests, which have paralyzed business districts in this financial hub, the government offered a playground as an alternative protest venue.

Such a move seemed unlikely to succeed. The leaders of the three main campaign groups — Occupy Central, the Federation of Hong Kong Students and Scholarism — said supporters must stay united and prepare for a long fight.

The protests were sparked when the government in Beijing issued rules that required its approval for candidates running for chief executive in 2017, which would be the first democratic election of the city's leader. Protesters charged that Beijing reneged on its promise of a totally free election in Hong Kong, which has operated with more personal liberties than the rest of China after the former British colony was turned over to China in 1997.

Some protesters said the authorities hope the mass civil disobedience movement will fizzle as people return to work or class. "The police want to let us collapse automatically, rather than using force to suppress us," said Patrick Tang, 21, an English student at Hong Kong's City University.

"We need important action," such as entering government offices, "but in a peaceful and well-mannered way, so mainland media have no excuse to pick on us," Tang said.

"The concern of me and everybody, I think, is that the campaign will decrease in size and eventually fail," said Wong Chifai, 22, a construction consultant. "I want more people to join and stay as long as they can, so we can bring down the economy and force the government to talk to us."

Social worker Remus Kwok, 34, who has protested for the past five days, said the demonstrations have made citizens "angry and disappointed" at the lack of democratic change. "I don't think the government will change anything, but now more Hong Kong people care about society and politics, so this is already a success," he said.

One protester disagreed with the student leaders' threat to occupy government buildings. "Getting into a confrontation with police doesn't seem peaceful to me," said Wilson Yip, 22, a recent university graduate. "If they try to force themselves inside and confront police, I don't see what kind of point that would make. It may make fewer people support the protests."

Contributing: The Associated Press