Extradition Bill Protesters Mull Next Step

Different groups of protesters on Monday were considering their future course of action after they stopped occupying Harcourt Road and continued to gather in nearby Tamar Park and in front of the Legco complex.

They said they did not plan to retake Harcourt Road, and were resting at the park to wait for more people to join and decide what to do next.

There was very little police presence outside Legco or at Tamar Park.

Some protesters said the government was trying to sway public opinion by sending only police negotiators on Monday morning and not trying to forcibly evict them from the area.

"We are going to stay in the protest area [outside Legco]. It is better to open the roads again," she said.

When asked how long she was going to stay, she said: "I prefer to remain silent on that."

Addressing hundreds who were sitting in front of Legco, lawmaker Au Nok-hin urged them to formulate a clear plan, whether to go to Government House and or just set a deadline for the administration to respond.

Several key members of the Civil Human Rights Front were in the area to discuss plans with the protesters.

The convenor of the group, Jimmy Sham, said his group was talking to different protesters so to discuss the way forward.

He said people were gathering in the area to wait for the government response. They have the patience, determination and the people's support to wait however long it takes, he said.

At the park, some groups were openly discussing whether to go to Government House or move to the police headquarters.

A secondary six student, Joanne Chan, said they wanted to continue their protest. "We love Hong Kong. We need to protect it. We want to fight for our future," she said.

The impact of the continued protest seems to be weighing on some of the people.

"We are not trying to break down the economy or bring troubles to Hong Kong. We just want to tell the government, please listen to our voices," said one.

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