Financial Secretary John Tsang said today that students' calls to occupy Tamar were irresponsible and warned of long-term damage to the city if the occupation continued.
Mr Tsang made those comments during a press conference this morning after some protesters had charged at Police and tried to block Lung Wo Road and access to the Central Government Offices.
He said his biggest concern was the mid to long-term impact the movement would have on Hong Kong's economy, if it were to continue.
The finance chief warned that the Occupy movement is seriously damaging the city's international image which could lead to investor confidence is going down.
He noted that if the instability continued it would affect pay levels and new job creation.
The finance chief added that Hong Kong's core value was the rule of law and if that was damaged, it would be very difficult to repair.
He urged the protesters to leave and restore public order.
