AP, HONG KONGClashes yesterday broke out between protesters and police in Hong Kong, cutting short a rally after thousands had gathered at a park on Hong Kong Island to call for electoral reforms and a boycott of the Chinese Communist Party. Police fired tear gas near Chater Garden, not far from the Legislative Council, after some protesters attacked plainclothes officers. Sporting their movement’s trademark black clothing and masks, rally participants packed into Chater Garden, holding up signs that read “Free Hong Kong” and waved US and British flags. In response to the rally, Hong Kong’s government released a statement outlining the “universal suffrage of ‘one person, one vote’ as an ultimate aim” enshrined in the territory’s Basic Law. “The government understands the aspiration of the community for universal suffrage,” it added.
