A lone man in a yellow raincoat stood on top of the scaffolding at a mall in central Hong Kong.

Nearby was his banner: “Make love no shoot! No extradition to China!”

For hours, police tried to talk Leung down but at around 9pm the 35-year-old jumped to his death, missing the inflatable mattress the officers had prepared to catch him.

In the fortnight since at least three protesters have killed themselves.

At the site of Mr Leung's death, white flowers and encouraging notes form an impromptu memorial to the deceased. One reads "Believe in our youth! Believe in our people!"

But the deaths are a disturbing consequence of anti-government protests that continue to rock the former British colony – after the marches, the peaceful demonstrations and the ransacking of parliament, a handful of citizens are committing suicide in the ultimate statement of desperation.