http://www.ejinsight.com/20140730-not-an-inch-given-lam-meets-occupy-central-leaders/
Chief Secretary Carrie Lam describes her meeting with the leaders of the Occupy Central movement as friendly and peaceful, but admits the trio held their ground. Photos: HKEJ
Not an inch given: Lam meets Occupy Central leaders
Chief Secretary Carrie Lam held talks with leaders of the Occupy Central movement on Tuesday, but the meeting yielded little progress, Apple Daily reported on Wednesday.
Benny Tai, one of the founders of the movement, said they were disappointed as Lam did not seem to show any interest in what they had to say and only repeatedly asked them to end their campaign immediately. He said Lam made no efforts to come up with specific suggestions on how to narrow their differences.
Tai reiterated that if the government does not put forward a plan for universal suffrage that meets international standards, the civil disobedience campaign will push through.
Meanwhile, Lam said after the meeting that she has made it clear to Tai and co-founders Chan Kin-man and Chu Yiu-min that using threats so the government will give in to their demands and their methods of attaining their objectives are unacceptable.
She said she repeatedly urged the trio to rethink the need to occupy Central. Lam described the meeting as friendly and peaceful, but added the leaders stood firm on their demands.
Tai noted that Lam has very little influence in the decision-making by the National People’s Congress, which is due to announce its plan for political reform in Hong Kong by the end of August. The chief secretary is just like a rubber stamp waiting to execute instructions from the central government, he said.
Occupy Central is going to happen if the government fails to table an electoral reform proposal that complies with international standards, Tai said, adding that the Legislative Council will not pass any hybrid solutions.
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