Reuters, Hong Kong :Hundreds of Hong Kong police used sledgehammers and chainsaws to dismantle pro-democracy barricades near government offices and the city’s financial center on Tuesday, reopening a major road for the first time since protests began two weeks ago.In a setback to protesters, traffic flowed freely along Queensway Road after their sit-in and barricades were cleared from the road. But other major protest sites remained in tact in the Admiralty and Mong Kok districts and pro-democracy demonstrators were defiant.”We will rebuild them after the police remove them,” said protester Bruce Sze. “We won’t confront the police physically.”Unlike Monday, which saw clashes between anti-protest groups and pro-democracy activists after police removed barricades, Tuesday’s operation resulted in no such confrontations.However, tensions are expected to escalate on Wednesday when taxi drivers, who say business has dropped by around 50 percent, have threatened to remove barricades if protesters have not cleared them by then. Truck drivers have made similar threats.Taxi and truck drivers were among those who tried to dismantle barricades on Monday when hundreds of people, some wearing surgical masks and carrying crowbars and cutting tools, tore down barricades and clashed with protesters.”Reopening of (Queensway) is better than nothing at all as it allows more options to the drivers. But still it is not good enough and traffic will still be very heavy,” said 53-year-old taxi driver Li Hung-on.”My income was down by half in the past two weeks and drivers like us are still the victims. It would be good if all the roads resume normal.”The protesters, mostly students, are demanding full democracy for the former British colony, but their two-week standoff has caused traffic chaos and fueled frustrations in the Asian financial hub, draining some public support.Some of the city’s most powerful tycoons had warned prior to the protests that any moves to occupy the heart of the city could undermine Hong Kong’s stability. They have remained largely silent since the protests kicked off.
