"Any intention among a small number of people to hold a colour revolution on the mainland through Hong Kong would be a daydream," the ruling Communist Party of China's official mouthpiece, the People's Daily said.
In a front-page commentary under the headline, "Determined to protect the rule of law in Hong Kong," the newspaper said yesterday that democracy without the rule of law would only result in chaos.
"Colour revolution" is a term widely used to describe various movements in the former Soviet Union republics during the early 2000s that led to the overthrow of governments. The term was also applied to uprisings in the Middle East in recent years.
It was the third day in a row the party-run newspaper had carried front-page commentary on the protests in Hong Kong that entered its second week today.
The People's Daily also reported that business had fallen for many hotels, and some overseas investors had put their Hong Kong investment plans on hold.
It added that voters in US had a "limited choice" of presidential candidates and the British made no attempt to introduce democracy in Hong Kong when they ruled the city.
The commentary said, Occupy Central was illegal even though it was branded as "civil disobedience" and peaceful, and Hong Kong police had no alternative but to fire tear gas.
"No one can ignore the law. No one is an exception to the rule of law, and young people and students should also obey the law," it added.
