News World 212: Protesters in Hong Kong brace for more police action

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Protesters in Hong Kong brace for more police action

Hong Kong unrest

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STORY HIGHLIGHTS

NEW: Protesters are bracing for more police action Wednesday
Hong Kong police: 86 arrested Tuesday in police scuffles
It developed after bailiffs initiated a court-ordered clearance of a street
Police fire "tear water" to push crowds; hold signs warning they'll use force

Hong Kong (CNN) -- Hundreds of protesters were holding a sit-in along four city blocks in Hong Kong on Wednesday morning, bracing for another day of clashes with police who plan on clearing more of the pro-democracy protest site in the bustling Mong Kok district.

On Tuesday, 86 protesters were arrested in scuffles with police.

Pro-democracy activist and lawmaker Leung Kwok-hung, commonly known as "Long Hair," was among those arrested, his office confirmed.

Hundreds of police were in attendance to support bailiffs' efforts to remove barriers from Mong Kok's Argyle Street between Tung Choi and Portland streets.

The bailiffs were enforcing a court order obtained by a local bus company, following complaints by residents and businesses that the protests have disrupted life in parts of the city for nearly two months. Police warned that anyone obstructing the bailiffs in their work would face contempt of court charges.

Numbers at the protest site swelled dramatically during the day, prompting police to issue a "final warning" to disperse at about 2:45 p.m. Scuffles then broke out, and a number of protesters could be seen being taken away by police.

Arrests, injuries, 'tear water'

Eighty-six people were arrested, Hong Kong's Police Public Relations Branch said at 8 p.m., a few hours after reporting 32 arrests. Some of those were charged with assaulting police officers, others with not obeying court orders.

Three police officers were injured in the clashes. The Hong Kong Information Services Department earlier said that two people were injured at the site; it was not immediately clear whether police were among that number.

And it's not over. After the arrests and clashes, police began spraying liquid -- referred to by a resident and local media as "tear water" -- toward the remaining crowds, slowly pushing them back.

Dressed in riot gear, some of the police held banners that read, "Stop charging, or we use force."

Activists had messages of their own, as seen in the Hong Kong Federation of Students' official Twitter account: "More support urgently needed in Mong Kok! Bring helmets, (goggles), shields, umbrellas, towels and be careful!"

Who's who in the Hong Kong protests?

Plans to relocate?

Earlier in the day, some protesters had said they planned to relocate peacefully to other protest sites in the city, while others said they respected the injunction but would remain at the site as long as possible.

Protesters calling for universal suffrage remain camped at a main protest site outside government buildings in Admiralty on Hong Kong Island and at a separate site in Mong Kok, a busy commercial district in Kowloon.

As bailiffs announced their intention to clear the site, protesters joined in chants calling for universal suffrage and demanding the resignation of Hong Kong's chief executive, C.Y. Leung.

Prior to leaving on a trip to South Korea on Tuesday, Leung said he had confidence in police to handle the situation in Mong Kok and said the government remained willing to engage in dialogue on political reform.

Universal suffrage

The protesters want to be able to nominate candidates for the election of the city's chief executive in 2017. Instead, China's National People's Congress has said they'll be able to vote only for canidates from a short list approved by a pro-Beijing committee.

Currently, the chief executive is elected by a specially appointed 1,200-member election committee.

At the peak of the protests in early October, tens of thousands of people were on the streets at three locations. But numbers have dwindled as the protests have continued, and local polling suggests support has dipped.

In a random survey of 513 people conducted by the University of Hong Kong, 83% said pro-democracy protesters should cease their eight-week occupation of major roads in Hong Kong, while just 13% said the protests should continue.

CNN's Elizabeth Joseph, Vivian Kam, Felicia Wong and Greg Botelho contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/25/world/asia/hong-kong-protests-mong-kok-clearance/

News World 212

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Protesters in Hong Kong brace for more police action

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