Police clear Hong Kong protest site

Hong Kong businesses hit by nearly two months of illegal street occupations breathed a collective sigh of relief on Wednesday.

Police finally cleared illegal protesters camped at the main intersection in the Mong Kok district, arresting two prominent student leaders.

More than 7,000 officers backed bailiffs in clearing occupied sections of Argyle Street and Nathan Road. The two-day operation saw 148 people arrested for various offenses, including contempt of court, resisting arrest, possession of offensive weapons, unlawful assembly and assaulting police.

Chief Superintendent Stephen Hui said 22 officers were injured during the clearances.

An operation on Tuesday morning to clear Argyle Street was followed by scuffles and standoffs that lasted well into the early hours of Wednesday.

Police used pepper spray and batons to keep protesters from reclaiming cleared roads and from spreading the illegal occupation to adjoining streets.

A second, much larger operation began on Wednesday at 10 am with police encountering less resistance as protesters gave way and moved their tents to a nearby park.

Six-lane Nathan Road, which threads through the heart of Kowloon, was cleared after nearly five hours. However, comments on the Internet said protesters were looking to reoccupy roads later in the evening.

This week's actions mark the first time the authorities have successfully cleared one of the three main protest sites, which sprang up after demonstrators seized key intersections in late September to press for unconstitutional reforms.

Several student protest leaders were detained in Wednesday's operation, with Joshua Wong, head of the student group Scholarism, and Lester Shum, Hong Kong Federation of Students' deputy secretary-general, arrested for alleged contempt of court and obstructing police officers. The pair were expected to appear in a magistrate's court on Thursday morning.

Protest leader Benny Tai, whose Occupy Central movement has dovetailed into the student protests, told reporters he will surrender to police on December 5.

Contractor Kwan Sui-sum, 55, said he wished the Nathan Road clearance had come earlier, as he has had to pay HK$20,000 ($2,580) in penalties after the protesters delayed building renovation work.

Kwan had to give 18 workers leave, as they were unable to transfer building materials across protesters' picket lines for nearly 60 days.

The owner of the Chung Hing Duty Free pharmacy was cautiously optimistic and eager for his store at the corner of the cleared intersection to get back to business. Sales dropped by 40 percent during the occupation, he said.

"I'm not worried about speculation that the protesters will return. I trust in Hong Kong's rule of law and in the police," the man said, who wished to remain anonymous as he fears retaliation from protesters.

Standard Chartered Bank resumed ATM services near the cleared sites, while one minibus driver said he is able to cut 15 minutes off his journeys now that he no longer needs to take detours.

But five stores at a cleared site owned by jewelry chain Chow Tai Fook were still closed hours later.

A company spokesman said the outlets will remain shut while it continues to monitor the situation.

Contact the writer at tim@chinadailyhk.com

A jewelry shop worker stands with sale posters after police removed tents and barricades set up by pro-democracy protesters at Hong Kong's Mong Kok shopping district on Wednesday. Roy Liu / China Daily

(China Daily 11/27/2014 page3)