(Reuters) – Hong Kong pro-democracy protests that brought tens of thousands on to the streets last week dwindled to a few hundred on Wednesday after activist leaders agreed to talks with the government which are all but certain to go nowhere.
The student-led protests have calmed since clashes with police more than a week ago and the number of protesters calling for universal suffrage has fallen dramatically since violent scuffles broke out at the weekend between demonstrators and pro-Beijing opponents.
Friday’s talks will focus on “the basis for political development”, the government said, referring to plans for a 2017 election of the chief executive, Hong Kong’s leader, but it was unclear how discussions could reconcile two such polarized positions.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.