Angle: Hong Kong demonstrators, “live or die” backwater team-Reuters News-International

[Reuters, Hong Kong, 28]-Jason Tse (32), reluctant to respond to the Hong Kong government's response to citizens, quit his job in Australia, jumped into a plane, returned to Hong Kong and participated in protests. He said he was convinced that this activity was a fight for life or death for the future of Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is now swayed by protests by citizens with a strong sense of crisis that they may lose a high degree of autonomy under the pressure of the Chinese government.

The Hong Kong government official, Carrie Lam, reiterated on 27th that the protesters' request to set up an independent investigation committee to investigate police violence is unacceptable. The Chinese government has stationed an armed police force in Shenzhen, adjacent to Hong Kong.

"I have only now. So I'm back in Hong Kong."

Tse said, stressing that he has participated in the demonstration peacefully since joining the protest last month. “If this is not successful, Hong Kong will lose all freedom of speech, human rights, and resistance.”

After the democratization demonstration was forcibly eliminated by the authorities in 2014, protests against the Chinese government had ceased.

“We need to keep fighting. The most frightening is the Chinese government,” said one teacher (40) on the condition of anonymity. “For us it ’s a life or a death”

<To die and die>

Citizens' activities, which began as a protest against the amendment to the “Fugitive Ordinance” that enables the delivery of suspects to mainland China, have developed into a wide range of democratization requirements.

“14 years (of the“ Umbrella Movement ”) was a terrible defeat. “If there were no participants claiming to use violent means this time, the revised proposal would have already passed the parliament,” said a 30-year-old protester who only claims to be Mike.

The man working in the media and living with his parents mentions that the parasol movement, which was largely a peaceful protest, eventually led to the imprisonment of activist leaders. “It is proof that some violent behavior is effective,” he said.

Already 900 arrests have been arrested. In spite of the prospect of being imprisoned for a long time, the activists who demand democratization will not be distracted.

Many of the participants live in a small apartment room with their family. At one of the protest sites, there was a graffiti nearby saying "The house is like a prison. Is it a scary thing like imprisonment?" In Hong Kong, when sharing a rental apartment, the rent for a very small room is HK $ 7,000 per month (about 94,000 yen).

Protests has hit the Xi Jinping Jintao, the Chinese government is sending a clear message and is possible to intervene with armed force in order to crush the protest with violence.

In the demonstration, participants shouted “I have only now”. However, if the Chinese government moves to repression, some people wonder if the freedom of Hong Kong, which is a dream in mainland China, may end.

Protests are also a sign of participants' anxiety about the future of Hong Kong. Participants, who were often toddlers when returning to Hong Kong, felt that they were not allowed any political means of expression, and thought they had no choice but to seek a general election.

Chen (28), who works in the service industry, says, “You can get up and defeat the government, or the government can do better. There is no choice.”

“Imagine this failure. You can only think that the Communist Party dictatorship will be stronger. He added that "time is running out" with the intention of expiring in 2047, 50 years later.

<Hong Kong is not China>

The Chinese government is trying to bring Hong Kong into mainland China, but there has been a rebound among residents.

According to a June survey conducted by Hong Kong University targeting 1015 people, 53% answered that they were Hong Kong. The percentage of Chinese respondents was 11%, the lowest since 1997 when Hong Kong was returned.

In Hong Kong, one of the world's most expensive cities, home ownership is only a dream, and as the Chinese government tightens, many young people who are frustrated claim that they have little hope for the future.

“In fact, we have nothing to lose,” said translator Scarlett (23).

Graffiti throughout the city shows the rebelliousness of the protesters. There are also messages such as "Hong Kong is not China" and "If you want peace, prepare for the fight."

The above-mentioned Tse believes that violent behavior cannot be helped as long as the Hong Kong government hardly listens to peaceful protests.

“I think there is tactical escalation of violence. I tell my wife that I will join if I really need a military organization,” he said.

(Reporter Marius Zaharia, Reporter Anne Marie Roantree)