Court: Hong Kong can clear protesters in business district

HONG KONG, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- A student protest site in Hong Kong's business district will be cleared beginning Thursday, a court ruled Tuesday.

A ruling published by Hong Kong's High Court specified that three areas of the Admiralty district, where demonstrators have established encampments and where violence erupted two weeks ago, will be cleared to return them to normal business. The court was responding to a claim by the municipal bus company, which said the 10-week occupation of the area was damaging business.

"We expect the area to be cleared in two hours barring any resistance from protesters," Paul Tse, who filed the injunction on behalf of the bus company, told The Wall street Journal. "If there's not much resistance, bailiffs will be involved. And if things get more difficult, the police will help."

The court order covers only specific areas of the district, which is replete with isolated tents and supply stations. Police may choose to clear the entire area Thursday. A large police presence in the district has prevented large crowds from gathering in specific spots.

Police have come under criticism for their methods of handling the protests. Although Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying noted police have used only minimal levels of force when dealing with less radical protesters, a poll released Tuesday by the University of Hong Kong said only 29 percent of respondents have a favorable view of the police.

Protesters are calling for the opportunity to vote, in 2017, on a new chief executive without vetting of candidates by the Beijing government, which said in August it would screen and choose the candidates.