Pro-democracy advocates in Hong Kong are gearing up for massive demonstrations later this month to express anger at Beijing's decision to limit people's choices for the territory's next chief executive.

Occupy Central with Love and Peace, an umbrella organization of groups campaigning for a democratic process in the election of the Chief Executive in 2017, has not set a date for the start of demonstrations that may paralyze vehicular traffic in Hong Kong's financial district.

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Hong Kong University students were more visible in the movement Monday as they held the first of a series of consultation meetings to plan demonstrations. Student volunteers handed out yellow ribbons and information materials about the pro-democracy movement after the meeting. 

Several university students tweeted that Sept. 22 could be a possible launch date for protest actions, with students boycotting classes by mid-September. HKU students plan to meet again Tuesday morning to decide on the date for what they promise to be peaceful and non-violent demonstrations.

Members of Occupy Central and dozens of activists attended a briefing by Deputy Secretary General Li Fei of the Nationalist People's Congress Standing Committee Monday morning, but came away disappointed at Li's explanations, saying these were "obscuring the facts and misleading the public."   

Li flew in from Beijing to explain the NPC decision and was heckled while speaking during the orientation.

Dressed in black, pro-democracy activists wore yellow ribbons. Some members were escorted out of the auditorium after they shouted and held up signs saying Beijing had lost credibility. Pro-establishment people in the crowd clapped as the democracy advocates were led away.

Alex Chow, head of the Hong Kong Federation of Students, also was removed from the auditorium as he criticized Li's explanation.

In a statement after the briefing, Professor Chan Kin-Man and Rev. Chu Yiu-Ming, convenors of Occupy Central, said the newly-approved nomination framework for 2017 was "just handpicked politics in the guise of universal suffrage." People simply won't be deceived, they added.

"Seeing that all chances at dialogue have been exhausted," Occupy Central said in a statement, "our only way is civil disobedience."

A brief display of armored personnel carriers of the People's Liberation Army passing through the city's commercial district was prominently mentioned in Hong Kong's media last Thursday through Saturday. But there was scant talk about the military vehicles by Monday.

TagsHong Kong, occupy central, hong kong students, civil disobediance