This Article is From Oct 13, 2014

Hong Kong Police Start Removing Protest Barricades

Hong Kong Police Start Removing Protest Barricades

Pro-democracy protesters reinforce a barricade in the Mongkok district of Hong Kong on October 13, 2014.

Hong Kong: Hong Kong police on Monday removed some barricades at sites where pro-democracy demonstrators have been holding more than two weeks of rallies, allowing light traffic to move through some previously paralysed parts of the Chinese financial hub.

Hundreds of police formed cordons at the edges of the main protest site in Admiralty after clearing some unmanned barricades in the early hours, catching protesters unawares as their numbers dwindled overnight.

When they realised the swoop was taking place demonstrators scrambled to rebuild their positions or protect the remaining barriers, though overall the atmosphere remained calm.

Police said they were intent on clearing blockages to traffic rather than ending the protests outright, as morning commuters weaved around the opposing lines on foot.

By 9:00 am (0100 GMT) some light traffic had begun to move on roads at the outskirts of the main protest sites that had previously been closed, as demonstrators tried to safeguard their remaining positions.

"Police urge protesters to listen to the advice of the police, not to obstruct the police action, to remove obstacles blocking the roads as soon as possible, and to leave the scene in a peaceful and orderly manner," a police statement said.

The message was relayed on-site via megaphones, with announcers saying police were repossessing government property by taking the barricades.

Some demonstrators moved metal barriers further inside police lines, reinforcing them with plastic ties. Others gathered at the remaining barricades, positioning tents there or sitting in lines facing police.

"We're not going to do anything against the police... we're just trying to hold our front line," said 22-year-old student Annabel Wong at the east end of the Admiralty site.

"This is the last line of defence for the people near the government offices," said Cherry Yuen as she sat in front of metal barricades 50 metres from police lines.

"The police just want to trick us again. We won't move and I'm ready to get arrested."

Police 'do what they want'

Some demonstrators expressed anger at the police moving in unannounced.

"The police refuse to communicate with us, they just do what they want," said Wong King-wa, 25.

"I feel really disappointed -- it doesn't matter that the police are removing barricades, but they should inform or liaise with us in advance," added 20-year-old airport security worker John Tsang.

Some protesters in Admiralty wielded umbrellas, which have become emblematic of the Hong Kong movement, to guard against any police pepper spray. Many of those who remained near the police lines wore protective goggles and masks.

At least two dozen police vans were parked close to Admiralty, in Central, Monday morning. Some officers around the site were carrying helmets and riot shields, though police numbers were starting to drop mid-morning, AFP reporters said.

The police statement Monday said that some barricades had already been removed at the Mongkok site -- a flashpoint district which has seen ugly scuffles.

"I'm angry because this umbrella movement belongs to the Hong Kong students. The police (should not be) our enemy but our friends," Kim Kwan, a 21-year-old student, told AFP, criticising Monday's intervention.

'Minimum force'

The demonstrators are calling for Beijing to grant full democracy to the former British colony and have brought parts of Hong Kong to a standstill over the last fortnight, prompting clashes with elements who oppose the blockades and widespread disruption.

Despite repeated orders to disperse, the rallies have taken on an air of permanence, with tents, portable showers and lecture venues.

On Sunday, the city's embattled leader Leung Chun-ying said the protesters had "almost zero chance" of changing Beijing's stance and securing free elections.

After police were criticised for unleashing tear gas on the rallies in late September, Leung said that if the government had to clear the protest sites, police would use a "minimum amount of force".

China announced in August that while Hong Kongers will be able to vote for Leung's successor in 2017, only two or three vetted candidates will be allowed to stand -- an arrangement the protesters dismiss as "fake democracy".

Students and pro-democracy campaigners have taken to the streets -- sometimes in their tens of thousands -- since last month to call for Beijing to change its position and allow unfettered elections and to demand Leung's resignation.

But Leung said Sunday: "In achieving universal suffrage in 2017, if the prerequisite is to put down the Basic Law and the decision made by the National People's Congress Standing Committee, I believe we all know that the chance is almost zero."

Crunch talks between student leaders and city officials collapsed last week, deepening the crisis in the semi-autonomous city as protesters vowed to dig in for the long haul.
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