HK's Status Main Motive For Young Protesters

Many of the protesters who surrounded the Legislative Council complex on Wednesday are young people who camped at the site overnight to show their opposition to the government's proposed extradition law changes which they said will deprive Hong Kong of its special status.

Hours before the bill is scheduled to be debated by lawmakers, protesters blocked roads near the government headquarters, including two major roads, Harcourt Road and Lung Wo Road.

As thousands of people occupied the streets, many on social media recalled the scenes of the 2014 Occupy movement when the same key intersections were blocked by protesters for 79 days.The mostly student-led protests called for universal suffrage for the 2016 Chief Executive election.

But this time around, many of the youths took to the streets, saying they want to stop Hong Kong from becoming just another mainland city.

Cyrus, 18, said he was willing to stay as long as it takes to block the extradition bill from passing.

He said Hong Kong should not become just another mainland city. "That's what makes Hong Kong special, like keeping the Chinese traditions and having a Western legal framework," he added.

Phoebe, 20, who also stayed outside Legco overnight, agreed.

"This is the main reason we come here. We don't want our Hong Kong to become another China [city]. Because everyone knows that Hong Kong is an international city," she said.