Unrest grows in Hong Kong over economy and a lack of democracy

THE political system in Hong Kong is increasingly paralysed, and street protests are growing more confrontational as public dissatisfaction on economic issues and a lack of democracy is rising.

At the same time, the pro-democracy movement here has splintered, weakening its ability to press for changes.

Protesters, many of them young people calling for democracy, have opposed building an expensive high-speed rail link to Guangzhou in China. They are also upset Hong Kong's mostly unelected legislators approved the measure.

The demonstrations also reflect frustration on the part of the pro-democratic parties in the former British colony who accuse China of having delayed or backtracked on commitments it made in the 1990s to allow people to directly elect a majority of lawmakers in the territory's Legislative Council.

Donald Tsang, the Beijing-backed chief executive of Hong Kong, has suffered a significant decline in his approval ratings in recent polls.

Until recently, Hong Kong had a tradition of orderly political protests that were polite by international standards. When 500,000 people took to the streets in 2003 to successfully oppose the introduction of stringent internal security regulations, the police did not make a single arrest.

Protests in the last few weeks, however, have been coarser. Youths have shouted obscenities at police. Scuffles with officers have resulted in a series of arrests.

"We're just sick of going to rallies that political parties organise, and we hold our banners and don't accomplish anything," said Christina Chan, 22, a graduate student who was arrested at her home this month on suspicion of assaulting police officers at two rallies. Released on bail, she has not yet been formally charged and has denied any wrongdoing.

Under the terms of its transfer to Beijing rule, Hong Kong retains broad civil liberties but also a political system that gives much greater weight to the votes of the economic and social elite. Analysts say there is limited opportunity for young people to vent their unhappiness with dwindling social mobility, high unemployment, rising university tuition fees and an urban planning process dominated by developers.

Young people have borne the brunt of competition from low-paid employees in mainland China. They face rising competition for jobs in Hong Kong itself as banks and other high-paying employers hire mainland college graduates with family connections in Beijing.

"This has been building for months, and I think we're heading for even greater frustration," said Michael DeGolyer, the director of the Hong Kong Transition Project, a coalition of academics which has traced the territory's political evolution for 22 years.

But the five pro-democracy parties in the political opposition in Hong Kong are deeply split over tactics, including a move by two of the parties to bring about by-elections.

Five lawmakers from two pro-democracy parties submitted letters of resignation on Tuesday that are to take effect at midnight on Thursday.

Unless withdrawn before then, the resignations would prompt by-elections that the five hope to turn into a referendum on introducing greater democracy before the next elections in 2012, instead of waiting until 2017 or later as Beijing officials have demanded.