Thousands of police called up to help clear Mong Kok roads
Tenth of the force to back up bailiffs sent to rowdiest of the three occupied sites, where hundreds of protesters are expected to resist
At least 3,000 officers - more than a tenth of the 28,000-strong police force - will be sent to Mong Kok as soon as tomorrow to assist bailiffs in executing injunctions to reopen occupied roads, a police source says.
This emerged yesterday after smooth clearance of the occupied area around Citic Tower in Admiralty by bailiffs and legal representatives of the building's owners - for which 1,000 police were on standby.
"We will need at least three times more to handle Mong Kok," the source said, adding that at least 100 to 200 protesters in the rowdiest of the three protest sites were expected to resist bailiffs.
Watch: Occupy Central protesters show little resistance as bailiffs remove barriers in Admiralty
"Those who are well-behaved will leave on their own of course, but those who are not will put up a fight," the source said.
Police will discuss the operation today after a review of the bailiffs' actions in Admiralty.
The occupied zone in Mong Kok may not be cleared in one go.
Protesters on Argyle Street may be cleared tomorrow, before the greater number on Nathan Road are tackled, the source said.
The injunction obtained by Chiu Luen Public Light Bus Company for Argyle Street was published in two newspapers yesterday, a requirement of the court. Two taxi groups, granted an injunction in respect of the Nathan Road occupation, have more legal procedures to go through.
The source said protesters who refused to leave would be removed and face arrest. "It would defeat the [court's] original intent if protesters were allowed to remain and traffic could not resume," the source said.
In Admiralty, bailiffs who moved in at 10am cleared most barricades without police assistance. Some barricades were removed by protesters.
But a stand-off developed about an hour later when protesters accused the bailiffs of seeking to clear an area wider than the court order suggested.
The bailiffs had sought to clear the occupiers' base behind metal barricades erected beside the entrance to the Citic Tower car park but backed off after negotiations.
The removal was a result of the injunction obtained by owner Goldon Investment, which filed the application last month.
It opened up both lanes of Lung Wui Road and part of Tim Mei Avenue. Vehicles can now enter Citic Tower through its car park entrance on Tim Mei Avenue via Lung Wui Road.
But part of Tim Mei Avenue remained closed last night, including the section of the Harcourt Road-bound lane outside an electricity substation that was still occupied with tents.
The stand-off developed when protesters asked whether the bailiffs - acting on behalf of Goldon Investment solicitor Simon Au Ming-su - had abused the court order by seeking to remove the protest base.
Lawmaker Albert Ho Chun-ying said the court order to give space for vehicles to pass had been fulfilled. If Citic continued with clearance, "it would be a politically motivated decision".
The leader of Scholarism, Joshua Wong Chi-fung, said the base was not blocking the car park or emergency exits.
