HONG KONG Choi, a 21-year-old student, does not tell his parents when he heads off to join the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Its simply not worth the aggravation.
We had a few discussions, but it never ended well, he said, using only one name to avoid more trouble with his family. We avoid talking about it now. Lots of my friends have a bad situation at home as well.
These days, the Chinese territory of Hong Kong seems full of divisions. A generational divide separates young people who support the protests and older people who do not; tensions exist between Hong Kong and the government of China and between the peoples of Hong Kong and mainland China. There are even divisions between protesters about the best way forward.
Police have used tear gas and pepper spray on the protesters, who have responded with insults.
Groups of old men turn up at the protest sites and taunt the students as traitors who are fulfilling a Western agenda to bring China down; pro-democracy protesters jeer at their opponents as agents of the Beijing government, betraying Hong Kongs unique values and Cantonese-speaking identity.
This once-apolitical enclave has suddenly become polarized, and not everybody is comfortable with the change.
I have lived in Hong Kong since 1948, and I cant remember a single issue that has so divided society, said Anson Chan, the 74-year old former chief secretary of the territory who has joined those calling for democracy. Even within my family, there are such strongly held views.
Long-term bitterness
In the latest development in the months-long protest saga, three leaders of the demonstrations were denied boarding passes Saturday for a flight from Hong Kong to Beijing, where they had hoped to meet with senior Chinese officials.
Airline officials told the three students that their travel documents had been invalidated by the Chinese government, news reports said.
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Hong Kong wrestles with growing division linked to pro-democracy protests