HONG KONG STANDARD (Hong Kong), BBC NEWS (UK), AL JAZEERA (Qatar), ASSOCIATED PRESS (U.S.)
HONG KONG – A Hong Kong court on Monday ordered the eviction of the protesters camped around the HSCB headquarters in the center of the city, reports the Hong Kong Standard.
Protesters have until August 27 to leave the area where they have been protesting since October, reports BBC News. It is one of the last outposts of the Occupy movement in Asia, adds the Hong Kong Standard.
The Hong Kong protests were largely inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York. At the height of the movement, hundreds of protesters occupied the area, reports BBC News. Their tents, personal belongings and banners denouncing capitalism have become a fixture at the HSBC building in one of Hong Kong's most exclusive shopping and financial districts, reports Al Jazeera.
Yet today only a dozen of activists are still camping around the bank’s HQ, and the area has become an unofficial shelter for homeless residents, says BBC's correspondent in Hong Kong Juliana Liu. Traditionally, the area was a popular meeting spot on Sundays for Hong Kong’s Filipino domestic workers.
On July 16 HSBC asked a court to evict the dozens of protesters, saying it intends to use the area for community events.
“We welcome the court ruling, and we look forward to the occupiers following the court order,” said HSBC spokesman Gareth Hewett.
“We won't leave even if they [come] here to remove us and we'll hold a meeting tomorrow night to discuss how we'll deal with the eviction,'' said Leung Wing Lai, one of the core members of the Occupy Hong Kong movement, reports the Hong Kong Standard.
Protesters said they would try to find another place to set up camp, reports BBC News.
Court orders
— Leslie Tang (@LeslieMTang) August 13, 2012#HK Occupy Central to move out of HSBC by 27th Aug, 9pm. Occupiers say they won't move.#fb twitter.com/LeslieMTang/st…
