Hong Kong Dismantles Last Camps of Pro-Democracy Protesters

The Hong Kong government dismantled the last camps of pro-democracy protesters in the streets of the capital on Monday, December 24, by arresting several democracy activists. According to Reuters from Hong Kong, around 100 police officers cleared the famous tourist area of 'Causeway Bay,' removing barriers set up by the protesters. The police also arrested more than 10 protesters who were sitting on the ground and refused to move. Among those detained were some elderly individuals. Government officials collected tents and other belongings of the protesters and reopened the streets in the area. The police had announced in recent days that they would soon clear the protesters' camps. Earlier, on Thursday, December 20, police had dismantled the protesters' camp in the Admiralty area near the central offices of government organizations and several other democracy supporters. Hong Kong has been the scene of clashes between pro-democracy protesters and the local government, which is considered appointed by the central government of China. During this time, protesters had occupied parts of the central streets of Hong Kong. Hong Kong was under British rule for many years but returned to China in 1997 and has since been governed under the 'one country, two systems' framework. The National People's Congress of China set conditions for the 2017 elections in Hong Kong earlier this year, which stipulate that the qualifications of electoral candidates must be approved by a majority of a committee largely dependent on the central government; critics say this effectively allows only two or three candidates close to Beijing to participate in these elections. The 2017 elections will also be the first in which the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, who is the head of the regional government, will be elected through direct voting.