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Hong Kong - A deepening sense of impasse gripped Hong Kong on Monday as pro-democracy protests entered their fourth week, with the government having limited options to end the crisis and demonstrators increasingly willing to confront police.
Dozens of people were injured in two nights of clashes over the weekend in the densely populated Mong Kok district of the Chinese-controlled city, including 22 police, media said. Four people were arrested for assault on Sunday, police said.
The area was calm on Monday although scores of protesters remained on the streets.
Hopes of easing the worst political crisis in Hong Kong since Britain handed the free-wheeling city back to China in 1997 rest on talks scheduled for Tuesday between the government and student protest leaders that will be broadcast live.
Free elections
But few are expecting any resolution given the two sides are poles apart on how the city will elect its next leader in 2017.
Students want free elections, but China insists on screening candidates first.
Hong Kong's Beijing-backed leader, Leung Chun-ying, has said the city's government was unwilling to compromise on China's restrictions, which were announced in late August.
Leung, who has rejected calls by protesters to quit, said on Sunday that more time was needed to broker what he hoped would be a non-violent end to the upheaval.
"To work out a solution, to put an end to this problem, we need time. We need time to talk to the people, particularly young students," he told Hong Kong's ATV Television.
Smashed batons
"What I want is to see a peaceful and a meaningful end to this problem."
Hong Kong's 28 000-strong police force has been struggling to contain the youth-led movement.
Demonstrators in Mong Kok squared off against police in late-night confrontations over the weekend, surging forward to stake their claim to an intersection.
Scores of riot police smashed batons at a wall of umbrellas that protesters raised to defend themselves. Scuffles erupted amid shouts and hurled insults.
