News: Hong Kong protests: talks postpone by Student leaders

--
---

The situation in parts of Hong Kong is very tense, as Martin Patience reports Continue reading the main story HK protests Messages on the wall Tiananmen echoes Legacy of protest Protests 'cost millions' Leaders of a pro-democracy student group in Hong Kong have postponed talks with the government after demonstrators were involved in scuffles with opponents. The group said the government was failing to protect protesters. Their supporters are angry at plans by China to vet election candidates and have been occupying parts of the city. Hong Kong's leader offered talks to defuse the situation after the protesters called for his resignation. But scuffles broke out on Thursday as people apparently angry with the disruption caused by the protests tried to dismantle tents and barricades. 'Broken promise' The Hong Kong Federation of Students, which was invited to negotiations with the government on Wednesday, said in a statement it had "shelved" the talks. A time and place for the negotiations had never been confirmed. "The government allowed the mafia to attack peaceful Occupy participants. It has cut off the path to a dialogue, and should be responsible for the consequences," it said.

--
---

Opponents of the protest surrounded an activists' tent in Mong Kok "The government has not kept its promise. We have no choice but to shelve the talks." It was not clear whether the statement reflected the position of other groups involved in the protest. Occupy Central leader Benny Tai told the BBC they were still only considering a boycott of the talks. However, he said police were not protecting the demonstrators against attacks by their opponents and this situation could not continue. "At this point it's very, very difficult to maintain any sense of dialogue if the government does not stop these things happening to peaceful protesters," he said. There was no immediate response from the government to the postponement. 'Just a game' In the commercial district of Mong Kok, on the Kowloon peninsula, opponents of the demonstrators had tried to dismantle tents. Police linked arms to try to separate the opposing groups.

--
---

Occupy Central leader, Benny Tai: "It is difficult to have dialogue if there is violence against peaceful protesters" Later, more pro-democracy activists flooded the area and now vastly outnumber their opponents, says the BBC's Martin Patience in Mong Kok. They began chanting: "Go back to the mainland." Many activists suspect that these people are coordinated by the Hong Kong or Chinese governments. But their very presence there is a reminder that not everyone in Hong Kong is on the side of the protesters, our correspondent says. At least some of the protesters' opponents appear to be local residents angered by the disruption. "I don't support Occupy Central. We have to work and make money. Occupy is just a game," said a construction worker who gave his name as Mr Lee, quoted by AFP news agency. "Give us Mong Kok back, we Hong Kongers need to eat!" another said. In Causeway Bay, these activists tried to prevent opponents removing their barricade Similar scuffles took place in Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island, where residents tried to remove barricades put up by pro-democracy protesters. At the time, the three main protest groups issued a statement blaming the authorities for the violence. "If the government does not immediately prevent the organised attacks on supporters of the Occupy movement, the students will call off dialogue on political reform with the government," it said.

--
---

Government offices in the main protest-hit area have been closed, with the authorities urging staff to work from home because roads were blocked. At the heart of the row is how Hong Kong elects its next leader. In August, Beijing imposed tight rules on nominations for candidates wanting to stand for election. The protesters say this move means that the polls will fall short of the free elections they are seeking. Several days into their week-long demonstrations, the protesters added the demand that Chief Executive CY Leung step down. Mr Leung refused late on Thursday but offered talks with his deputy, which the activists accepted. The central government in Beijing has thrown its full support behind Mr Leung, calling the protests illegal and "doomed to fail"