HONG KONG — Hong Kong’s civil servants returned to work and schools were reopening Monday as a massive pro-democracy protest that has occupied much of the city center for the week dwindled.
Student demonstrators say they have taken steps to begin talks with the government on their demands for wider political reforms, but actual negotiations have not started and many disagreements remain.
At government headquarters, some protesters agreed to remove barriers blocking roads Sunday ahead of the government’s deadline to scale back their protests. The scene was orderly as government officials arrived for work as a few dozen remaining protesters looked on.
The crowds had thinned after a week that saw tens of thousands of people fill the streets in peaceful protest. In Mong Kok, another protest site across the harbor where protesters had clashed violently with their opponents, a few hundred activists were staying put.
Some activists disagree with the partial withdrawal at government headquarters. An alliance of students say they will keep up their protests until details of the talks are worked out.
“If the government uses force to clear away protesters, there will be no room for dialogue,” said Lester Shum, one of the group’s leaders.
Alex Chow, another student leader, said he was not worried about the crowd dwindling.
“People need rest, but they will come out again. It doesn’t mean the movement is diminishing,” Chow said.
Students occupying an area outside city government headquarters agreed to remove some barricades that were blocking the building’s entrance, after the government said it would do whatever was necessary to ensure that 3,000 civil servants would have full access to their offices on Monday.
The partial withdrawal appeared to be part of a strategy to regroup in another part of town, as protesters were urged to shift to Hong Kong’s Admiralty shopping and business district, a central location near the government’s main offices that has served as an informal headquarters for the protests.
Protesters had feared that officials might clear the streets by force. By Monday, it was clear the government was settling for a partial victory in clearing some roads. The government indicated disruptions were likely to continue.
“To restore order, we are determined, and we are confident we have the capability to take any necessary action,” said police spokesman Steve Hui. “There should not be any unreasonable, unnecessary obstruction by any members of the public.”
The situation remained volatile in Hong Kong’s Mong Kok district, where confrontations broke out Friday and Saturday after opponents of the protesters tried to force them out.
China has promised that Hong Kong can have universal suffrage by 2017, but it says a committee of mostly pro-Beijing figures must screen candidates for the top job. The protesters also are demanding the resignation of Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, the city’s current leader. He has refused to step down.
