Hong Kong authorities begin clearing protest camp
20 Nov 2014 4:42 AM IST
Authorities on Tuesday cleared part of Hong Kong’s main pro-democracy protest camp, facing no resistance as they launched the first of several planned evictions to reopen roads blocked for nearly two months. Demonstrators have been camped on three major thoroughfares since September 28 demanding free leadership elections for the semi-autonomous Chinese city, but public support has ebbed as the weeks pass with little progress.
The Chinese government insists that candidates for the 2017 vote must be vetted by a loyalist committee, an arrangement the protesters say will ensure the election of a pro-Beijing stooge. Dozens of police and bailiffs stood guard Tuesday as workers dismantled metal barricades blocking access to a skyscraper opposite government headquarters, on the edge of the sprawling main camp in the central Admiralty district.
The Chinese government insists that candidates for the 2017 vote must be vetted by a loyalist committee, an arrangement the protesters say will ensure the election of a pro-Beijing stooge. Dozens of police and bailiffs stood guard Tuesday as workers dismantled metal barricades blocking access to a skyscraper opposite government headquarters, on the edge of the sprawling main camp in the central Admiralty district.
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