Thousands of Hong Kong university and school students boycotted class and rallied peacefully for democracy on Monday, the latest acts of defiance in an anti-government movement that has plunged the Chinese-ruled city into crisis.

Thousands of Hong Kong university and school students boycotted class and rallied peacefully for democracy on Monday, the latest acts of defiance in an anti-government movement that has plunged the Chinese-ruled city into crisis. The boycott followed a weekend marred by some of the worst violence since unrest escalated more than three months ago, with protesters burning barricades and throwing petrol bombs, and police retaliating with water cannon, tear gas and batons. Thousands of students gathered on the hilltop campus of Chinese University under leaden skies, taking turns to make speeches from a stage with a black backdrop embossed with "Students in Unity Boycott for our City". They are seeking greater democracy for the former British colony which returned to China in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" formula that guarantees wide-ranging autonomy, including the right to protest and an independent judiciary. There fear those freedoms are being slowly eroded by Communist Party rulers in Beijing, a charge China denies. "I come here just to tell others that even after summer holidays end we are not back to our normal life, we should continue to fight for Hong Kong," said one 19-year-old student who asked to be identified as just Chan. On the first day of the new school year, secondary students were seen singing, chanting and forming human chains, some wearing hard hats and masks. Many primary schools were closed because of a typhoon warning. China accuses Western countries of egging on the protests. It says Hong Kong is its own internal affair. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang reiterated Beijing's support for Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam. "China's central government supports chief executive Carrie Lam’s leadership ... to administer in accordance with the law and supports Hong Kong's police tackling the violence and chaos in accordance with the law to restore order," he told a press briefing. Protesters gathered after dusk fell next to the Hong Kong headquarters of the People's Liberation Army, shining dozens of green lasers at a barracks building in a tropical downpour. Police briefly used pepper spray nearby to keep the crowds back. 'We'd like to keep schools calm' Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung told reporters that schools were no place for "raising political demands" or trying to pressure the government. "We would like to keep schools as calm, peaceful and orderly places for students to study," he said. Students have turned out in significant numbers at recent rallies and were also prominent during the 2014 pro-democracy "Umbrella" movement that foreshadowed the current unrest. "It's very different from what happened back then. People are more mad now," said Summer, a 20-year-old student who only gave his first name. Thousands of protesters blocked roads and public transport links to Hong Kong airport on Sunday. Some then targeted the MTR subway station in nearby Tung Chung, ripping out turnstiles and smashing CCTV cameras, glass panels and lamps with metal poles. Police made several arrests. Lam, a lightning rod for protesters' anger, said on her Facebook page on Monday that 10 subway stations had been damaged by "violent offenders" over the weekend. John Lee, government secretary for security, told media that nearly 100 petrol bombs were thrown in various locations on Saturday with two found on a 13-year-old boy who was arrested inside an MTR station. The head of the Hong Kong Court Prosecutors' Association sent an internal email to all Department of Justice staff, accusing the police of lying about the timing of the arrest of seven pro-democracy figures, including three lawmakers, on Friday, broadcaster RTHK reported. Association chairman William Wong said it was clear that the police were lying when they said it was only a "coincidence" that the arrests came on the eve of a planned mass rally. The unrest began over a now-suspended extradition bill that would have allowed people in the city to be sent to China for trial in courts controlled by the party. The turmoil has evolved into calls for democracy. China is eager to quell the unrest before the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1.With Hong Kong facing its first recession in a decade, China has also warned of the damage the protests are causing to the economy.

Hong Kong students rally peacefully after weekend of protest violence

Carrie Lam, who won an election to become Hong Kong&#39;s first female chief executive on Sunday, is a former student activist who climbed the rungs of the civil service over 36 years, and a tough, capable and possibly divisive Beijing-backed leader.

Lam, 59, most recently Hong Kong&#39;s number two official, has to unify the Chinese-ruled city as public resentment swells at Beijing&#39;s growing interference in its affairs despite being promised a high degree of autonomy.

She also has to reinvigorate the economy and address growing social inequalities and high property prices.

Several sources who have worked with Lam say she&#39;s intelligent, hard-working and able to push controversial government policies, earning her the trust of Beijing factions who strongly lobbied for votes on her behalf.

But her hardline and pro-Beijing tendencies, say critics and opposition democrats, risk sowing further social divisions in the former British colony that returned to China 20 years ago under a &quot;once country, two systems&quot; formula that guarantees it wide-ranging freedoms. &quot;Carrie Lam...is a nightmare for Hong Kong,&quot; said student activist Joshua Wong, 20, one of the leaders of the student-led &quot;Umbrella Movement&quot; protests in 2014 which blocked the streets for 79 days demanding full democracy.

&quot;Theoretically, the chief executive is a bridge between the central government and the Hong Kong people. But Lam will be a tilted bridge. She will only tell us what Beijing wants, and won&#39;t reflect what the people want to the communist regime.&quot;

Lam, 59, dubbed &quot;the fighter&quot; by media, was once the most popular official in the cabinet of staunchly pro-Beijing incumbent chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, who in 2012 won a similar election restricted to just 1,200 voters.

&quot;Picking Carrie as chief secretary was Leung&#39;s best appointment,&quot; said a senior government official who declined to be identified because he was not authorised to speak to the media. But she could also sometimes be a &quot;bully&quot;, he added.

&nbsp;

SOFTER IMAGE

Lam&#39;s popularity began to slip just as a younger generation of protesters rose to prominence, and tumbled further during the course of her election campaign this year.

Her attempt to push through a planned Palace Museum in Hong Kong, showing artefacts from the museum in Beijing&#39;s Forbidden City, was criticised for being presented as a done deal without public consultation, highlighting what some describe as her &quot;autocratic&quot; style, according to a source who knows her.

She is not well regarded by the opposition democratic camp, with most of the 300 or so democrats seen having voted for former Financial Secretary John Tsang.

The bespectacled Lam was also criticised by student leaders for being &quot;vague&quot; after their televised meeting failed to defuse the 2014 protests. The demonstration ran out of steam two months later and ended with police clearing the streets.

During her campaign, Lam attempted to present a softer, more populist image, but was ridiculed for gaffes including not appearing to know how to use subway turnstiles.

She was also lampooned for a late-night hunt for toilet paper which took her to her posh former home on the Peak after she failed to find any at a convenience store.

The daughter of a Shanghainese immigrant who worked on ships and a mother who had never received a formal education, Lam grew up in a cramped apartment shared by four siblings and several families.

A devout Catholic and a student of sociology at the University of Hong Kong, Lam took part in social activism before joining the government. She is married with two sons.

Lam formally becomes head of the global financial hub on July 1.

She joins a select group of female leaders who have risen to the top job in Asia in recent years including Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, hugely distrusted by China, and ousted South Korean president Park Geun-hye, who angered Beijing with her plans to deploy a US&nbsp;missile defence system to counter the threat from North Korea.

(Reuters)

She will only tell us what Beijing wants, and won't reflect what the people want to the communist regime: Umbrella Movement protester

Carrie Lam, who won an election to become Hong Kong's first female chief executive on Sunday, is a former student activist who climbed the rungs of the civil service over 36 years, and a tough, capable and possibly divisive Beijing-backed leader. Lam, 59, most recently Hong Kong's number two official, has to unify the Chinese-ruled city as public resentment swells at Beijing's growing interference in its affairs despite being promised a high degree of autonomy. She also has to reinvigorate the economy and address growing social inequalities and high property prices. Several sources who have worked with Lam say she's intelligent, hard-working and able to push controversial government policies, earning her the trust of Beijing factions who strongly lobbied for votes on her behalf. But her hardline and pro-Beijing tendencies, say critics and opposition democrats, risk sowing further social divisions in the former British colony that returned to China 20 years ago under a "once country, two systems" formula that guarantees it wide-ranging freedoms. "Carrie Lam...is a nightmare for Hong Kong," said student activist Joshua Wong, 20, one of the leaders of the student-led "Umbrella Movement" protests in 2014 which blocked the streets for 79 days demanding full democracy. "Theoretically, the chief executive is a bridge between the central government and the Hong Kong people. But Lam will be a tilted bridge. She will only tell us what Beijing wants, and won't reflect what the people want to the communist regime." Lam, 59, dubbed "the fighter" by media, was once the most popular official in the cabinet of staunchly pro-Beijing incumbent chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, who in 2012 won a similar election restricted to just 1,200 voters. "Picking Carrie as chief secretary was Leung's best appointment," said a senior government official who declined to be identified because he was not authorised to speak to the media. But she could also sometimes be a "bully", he added. SOFTER IMAGE Lam's popularity began to slip just as a younger generation of protesters rose to prominence, and tumbled further during the course of her election campaign this year. Her attempt to push through a planned Palace Museum in Hong Kong, showing artefacts from the museum in Beijing's Forbidden City, was criticised for being presented as a done deal without public consultation, highlighting what some describe as her "autocratic" style, according to a source who knows her. She is not well regarded by the opposition democratic camp, with most of the 300 or so democrats seen having voted for former Financial Secretary John Tsang. The bespectacled Lam was also criticised by student leaders for being "vague" after their televised meeting failed to defuse the 2014 protests. The demonstration ran out of steam two months later and ended with police clearing the streets. During her campaign, Lam attempted to present a softer, more populist image, but was ridiculed for gaffes including not appearing to know how to use subway turnstiles. She was also lampooned for a late-night hunt for toilet paper which took her to her posh former home on the Peak after she failed to find any at a convenience store. The daughter of a Shanghainese immigrant who worked on ships and a mother who had never received a formal education, Lam grew up in a cramped apartment shared by four siblings and several families. A devout Catholic and a student of sociology at the University of Hong Kong, Lam took part in social activism before joining the government. She is married with two sons. Lam formally becomes head of the global financial hub on July 1. She joins a select group of female leaders who have risen to the top job in Asia in recent years including Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, hugely distrusted by China, and ousted South Korean president Park Geun-hye, who angered Beijing with her plans to deploy a US missile defence system to counter the threat from North Korea. (Reuters)

Hong Kong elects its first female leader, Beijing-backed Carrie Lam

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Hong Kong students rally peacefully after weekend of protest violence

Hong Kong elects its first female leader, Beijing-backed Carrie Lam