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December 8, 2014 -- Updated 0249 GMT (1049 HKT)
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Hong Kong teenage protest leader ends hunger strike
- Joshua Wong said it was "only way" to get government to agree to talks
- Strike was seen as an attempt to rally a flagging movement
Hong Kong (CNN) -- The Hong Kong teenager who has become the face of pro-democracy protests in the city ended his hunger strike on Saturday for health reasons.
Joshua Wong started the hunger strike on Monday, December 1, telling CNN it was the "only way" to get the government to agree to talks.
A statement on his Facebook page said that the strike lasted for 108 hours and he ended it on the advice of his doctor. He said he felt "extremely unwell" and his blood sugar was very low.
The 18-year-old activist, who leads a student group called Scholarism, wants open elections for Hong Kong's next leader, but Beijing has said Hong Kong may only hold elections if candidates are nominated by a small committee.
Wong's hunger strike was seen as an attempt to rally a movement which has shown growing signs of fracture.
Protesters have camped more than two months on an eight-lane highway in Hong Kong's Admiralty district, but the government has shown no willingness to make concessions.
The movement's momentum has sputtered and leaders of different protest groups are split over what action to take.