Clashes as Hong Kong Authorities Clear More Protests | WPN World People News

Hong Kong authorities cleared a main protest camp Wednesday and arrested two leaders of the Occupy Movement, which is calling for greater democracy in the semiautonomous Chinese territory.

Police hauled away several protesters, including student leaders Lester Shum and Joshua Wong, during the several-hour operation to clear barricades from a road in the Mong Kok neighborhood.

Scuffles broke out when some protesters tried to prevent workers from tearing down the barricades on Nathan Road, a major thoroughfare that had been blocked by protesters for two months.

The workers, who wore red baseball caps and "I Love Hong Kong" t-shirts, were backed by thousands of police. After the barricades and tents were removed, the highway re-opened to traffic.

It was the third time authorities have cleared protest sites since Hong Kong's High Court approved the actions earlier this month. On Tuesday, police said they arrested 116 people during an operation to clear another part of Mong Kok.

Protesters still remain camped out at two other sites - near government headquarters in the Admiralty district and in the popular shopping district of Causeway Bay.

The protests have persisted since late September, but have been dwindling. Several recent public opinion polls suggest the protests are beginning to lose public support.

The demonstrators have been calling for fully democratic elections in 2017. They took to the streets after China ruled in August that all candidates for Hong Kong's chief executive must first be approved by a committee that is stacked with pro-Beijing loyalists.

Source: Voice of America