Hong Kong student protest leaders Joshua Wong and Lester Shum were
among those arrested amid heated confrontations as authorities attempted to clear demonstration
camps in the Mong Kok district for a second day.
Wong, the
18-year old founder of the secondary school activist group Scholarism, and
Shum, deputy secretary general of the Hong Kong Federation of Students, were
arrested after police and bailiffs moved to clear barricades on Nathan Road in
the bustling commercial area, Continue..
By midday
Wednesday, authorities had cleared barricades and tents from the
long-established protest camp.
Prior to
his arrest,he urged protesters to remain on the streets until
the "last second."
"We
will still conduct our civil disobedience action until the last second, until
the plaintiffs or the police arrest us," he said.
Bailiffs
have been engaged to clear the Mong Kok protest camps in accordance with a
court order obtained by local business interests, following complaints 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 charges of
contempt of court or obstructing an officer.
Some protesters were seen
assisting authorities in dismantling shelters, as police ordered demonstrators
disperse and not to interrupt the clearance. Others were tackled to the ground
and detained by police during the clearance efforts.
Night of clashes
The
police action followed a night of heated clashes between police and protesters,
after authorities attempted to clear another road in Mong Kok, Argyle Street,
Tuesday.
As of 6am
Wednesday morning Hong Kong time, 116 people had been arrested during the
confrontation in Mong Kok, according to Alice Tam of the Police Public
Relations Branch. Offenses included resisting police, illegal assembly,
possession of weapons and attacking police.
Twenty
police officers were injured in clashes, said Tam.
Lawmaker
and pro-democracy activist Leung Kwok-hung, commonly known as "Long
Hair," was among those arrested, his office confirmed.
Tuesday's
clearance effort began peacefully, with some protesters indicating their
intention to relocate to other protest camps peacefully. But events spiraled
into violence as crowd numbers swelled, with police dressed in riot gear
spraying liquid referred to by local media as "tear water" toward the
crowd to drive them back.
Police
warned protesters to retreat, displaying banners that read: "Stop
charging, or we use force."
As the
situation Tuesday night escalated, activists issued calls on social media for
reinforcements. The Hong Kong Federation of Students' tweeted: "More
support urgently needed in Mong Kok! Bring helmets, (goggles), shields,
umbrellas, towels and be careful!"
As
bailiffs announced their intention to clear the site Tuesday morning,
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
Pro-democracy
protesters have occupied camps in parts of the city for nearly two months, and
maintain a main protest site outside government buildings in Admiralty on Hong
Kong Island.
Calling
for universal suffrage, they 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 candidates 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 recent 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 occupation of major roads in Hong
Kong, while just 13% said the protests should continue.
No plans
to halt
Prior to
his arrest, Shum told CNN there were no plans to give up the protests.
"The
most urgent step is to revoke the August 31 NPC decision. The political reform
problem starts from there," he said, referring to the Chinese central
government's controversial decision to impose vetting restrictions on who could
run as a candidate for Hong Kong's top office.
"If
the Chinese communist party refuses to, or the Hong Kong government does not
reflect how Hong Kong people think, we urge them to deny the political reform
bill in the Legislative Council and restart the whole political process
again."
He said
the decision on whether to remain on the streets and face violence or arrest
was each individual protester's own to make.
"I
believe it is a personal or individual decision, because everyone has different
degrees of consequences that they have to face alone," he said.
Who's who in the Hong Kong
protests?
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