Protesters agree to clear Hong Kong roads

Protesters in Hong Kong left the streets, averting possible clashes after haggling for hours with police by moving to areas near the city's government headquarters.

Protesters against a proposed extradition bill, are seen along a road near the Legislative Council building early morning in Hong Kong, China, June 17, 2019.
Reuters

Protesters against a proposed extradition bill, are seen along a road near the Legislative Council building early morning in Hong Kong, China, June 17, 2019.

Traffic in Hong Kong resumed on Monday after protesters cleared major streets and gathered near the city's government headquarters.

The demonstrators who stayed after a massive protest march the day before were seen streaming Monday morning into a space outside Hong Kong's Legislative Council after police who had cleared it reopened the area.

Their decision to leave major roads allowed police to reopen them to traffic, averting the possibility of clashes similar to those that broke out on June 12, resulting in about 80 people being injured.

The government building was closed Monday.

Activists were staging strikes and other smaller events Monday.

They are demanding that Hong Kong's Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, must scrap a proposed extradition bill that she has suspended under intense pressure from residents worried it would undermine legal protections in the former British colony.

Umbrella Movement activist Wong released from prison

Joshua Wong, a leading figure in Hong Kong's 2014 Umbrella Movement demonstrations, was released from prison on Monday and vowed to soon join the latest round of protests.

Wong's release from the Lai Chi Kok Correctional Facility came as student demonstrators and police were gathered near the city's government headquarters after a protest on Sunday that organisers said drew nearly 2 million people.

He told waiting journalists he needed a bit of time but, "No matter what happens, I will join the protest soon."

Wong, 22, served a two-month sentence for contempt related to his involvement in the 2014 protests advocating a more democratic elections process in the former British colony.

Wong's sentence was reduced from three months because he was only a teenager when he was arrested.

The young activist won an appeal of a separate conviction and six-month sentence for unlawful assembly and released after spending more than two months in prison in that case.

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