Hong Kong protests: 'Hard crackdown likely'

Hong Kong-based economic governance activist David Webb says government crackdown would change civic freedoms available until now.

The ongoing protests in Hong Kong escalated on Tuesday, as China celebrated 70 years under Communist Party rule with the pomp and pageantry of a military parade in Beijing. Police shot live rounds at protesters for the first time.

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Melanie Rice gets the insights of David Webb, a corporate and economic governance activist and former investment banker, who is based in Hong Kong.

Webb predicts that the protests will continue until either the government offers meaningful democratic reforms or there is a "hard crackdown".

He says given the apparent lack of political will for reform though, a crackdown is the more likely scenario.

A crackdown which will completely change the freedoms that have been available in Hong Kong until now because it's an inherently unstable combination - all the civic freedoms that we have without having a democratically accountable government.

David Webb, Corporate and economic governance activist based in Hong Kong

Webb notes that the majority of the around two-million of people who've participated in the protests have been peaceful and encourages potential visitors to go ahead with their travel plans.

Just ask your concierge if you wish to attend some of the marches or if you want to avoid them, but in the meantime a lot of our usual tourist attractions are much less crowded than they usually are.

David Webb, Corporate and economic governance activist based in Hong Kong

For more on the situation in Hong Kong, listen below:

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