As the massive protest in Hong Kong, organized by the Occupy Central movement, moves through its second week, paralyzing parts of HK, many Chinese-Americans in Southern California expressed their hope that the protest would end as soon as possible and the issues would be resolved in a peaceful and rational manner.

An open statement was initiated by more than 600 overseas Chinese representatives from across the world, demanding pro-democracy protesters to stop their movement and return the region to a state of stability. The statement noted that overseas Chinese supported the decisions made by the central and SAR government in their efforts to maintain Hong Kong's prosperity and stability.

The movement has caused huge inconvenience to HK residents and has seriously affected traffic and HK local businesses, said David Lin, president of the American Chinese Culture Association and one of organizers of the statement. As this could ruin Hong Kong's international image, overseas Chinese hope that the issues would be handled appropriately, Lin added.

Derek Ma, president of the Chinese American Community Affairs Council, said that HK students and residents have the right to express their own opinions and disagree with authorities, but that they should do so in an appropriate fashion. They are not going about their requests for democracy and respect the right way, and their behavior has inconvenienced people, Ma added.

People around the world are pursuing democracy, but this takes time, said Charles Lu, president of the Roundtable of Chinese-American Organizations, adding that China is moving towards democracy at its own pace, and that overseas Chinese support the government's decision and ability to resolve problems peacefully.

Georgiana Szeto Lee, president of the American Chinese Women Federation who was from Hong Kong, said that she believed Hong Kong is a democratic society with rule of laws and free trade is central for the region and its people. She appealed to the protesters for calmness and think more about our next generation.

Victor Chang, a professor in University of Southern California who used to be an activist for Defending the Diaoyu Islands Movement and has lived in the US for over 40 years, reminded young students that protests can spiral into big turmoils, and issues should be resolved rationally.