香港警方打通部分被堵道路

Hong Kong police yesterday opened a crucial traffic artery in the commercial district that has been blocked for roughly two weeks because of pro-democracy protests that have paralysed chunks of the Chinese territory.

香港警方昨日在商業區打通了一條已被民主抗議封堵大約兩週的交通要道。抗議癱瘓了這個中國特別行政區的部分地區。

Police started dismantling barricades on Queensway – a main road in Admiralty district along which Hong Kong’s trams cross the city – after protesters erected new bamboo blockades overnight. Police forced the remaining handful of protesters to remove their tents, which allowed them to open up the road to traffic.

在抗議者在晚間豎起新的竹製路障後，警方開始拆除金鐘道（金鐘區一條主要道路，香港的有軌電車在此經過）上的路障。警方強迫剩餘的少量抗議者移除他們的帳篷，以便打通道路，讓車輛通行。

The stalemate between the government and demonstrators was akin to a “new cold war mentality”, according to George Wong, 31, an artist who supports the students. The protesters who remained in the area were committed to staying, he said.

支持學生的31歲藝術家喬治•黃(George Wong)稱，政府與示威者之間的僵局類似於“新冷戰思維”。他說，留在抗議現場的示威者決心堅持到底。

“We are also very sorry for the public for blocking the roads . . . but we are blocking them for a good reason,” said Mr Wong. Moving the protests to public parks would eliminate any bargaining power with the government, he added.

“對於封路造成市民不便，我們也很遺憾……但我們是爲了一個很好的理由封路，”喬治•黃說。他補充說，把抗議活動轉移到公園將使抗議者在政府面前失去所有籌碼。

Hong Kong has over the past fortnight faced its worst unrest since it was handed back to China in 1997. Students and other pro-democracy activists have occupied key parts of the city to oppose a Chinese plan for electoral reform in the territory.

香港在過去兩週經歷了自1997年迴歸中國以來最糟糕的騷亂。學生和其他民主活動人士佔領了該市的一些關鍵地方，抗議中國爲香港製定的選舉改革方案。

In recent days the number of protesters has dwindled from the tens – and possibly hundreds – of thousands that took to the street two weeks ago to criticise the governments in Hong Kong and Beijing. But smaller groups have set up camps to keep several main roads blocked.

兩週前走上街頭批評香港和中央政府的數萬（甚至可能有數十萬）抗議者，近日已大幅減少。但小股抗議者仍在幾條交通要道上安營紮寨，堵住了這些道路。

The move to open Queensway is part of a government strategy to chip away at the protest movement without resorting to tactics that could inflame tensions and spark sympathy for the protesters. One officer said the government had told police to adopt a gentle approach. Two weeks ago police fired tear gas at protesters – a move that backfired by generating more support for the movement.

打通金鐘道是政府戰略的一環，目的是螞蟻啃堤般地削弱抗議運動，而不訴諸可能加劇緊張局勢、引發市民同情抗議者的戰術。一名警官表示，政府已要求警方採取溫和姿態。兩週前，警方曾向抗議者發射催淚瓦斯，此舉被證明事與願違，因爲它使抗議運動贏得更多支持。

Across town in Causeway Bay, a popular shopping district, the few dozen protesters who camped overnight were kept awake until 3am by announcements from the fire department and the police. Just after 5am, they were roused again when hundreds of police quickly moved in to remove barricades and reopen one section of road to traffic.

在平時人氣頗高的購物區銅鑼灣，幾十名整夜堅守的抗議者被消防部門和警方的大喇叭廣播吵到凌晨3時才得以小睡片刻。清晨5時剛過，他們被再次驚醒，數百名警察迅速開進拆除路障，打通一條車道讓車輛通行。

By 7.30am, the camp was reduced to 20 tents laid out around a tram stop, where about 100 people sat between big piles of food and water.

到了早上7時30分，抗議者的營地已經縮小至一個電車站周圍的20頂帳篷，大約100人坐着，身邊是大堆的食物和瓶裝水。

Protesters in Causeway Bay remained defiant but were well aware that their time in this part of town looked to be running out. Many expected to be driven out soon, not by police but by local gangs.

銅鑼灣的抗議者仍然態度堅決，但都清楚知道自己在這部分市區能夠堅持的時間不多了。許多人預計自己很快就會被驅離——不是被警察，而是被當地黑幫。

Catherine, 30, a secretary who declined to give her surname, said the protesters would “find other channels to protest” if they were evicted by force. “We will try to protect our city until the last minute,” she said.

拒絕透露姓氏的30歲祕書凱瑟琳(Catherine)表示，如果抗議者被武力驅逐，他們將“找到其它抗議途徑”。“我們將努力保護我們的城市，直到最後一分鐘，”她說。

CY Leung, the Hong Kong chief executive, has backed the Chinese plan for electoral reform, making him a target of the protesters, who have depicted him in street art as everything from Pinocchio to the devil.

表態支持中央選舉改革方案的香港行政長官樑振英(CY Leung)，成爲了抗議者的攻擊對象。從匹諾曹（《木偶奇遇記》主角——譯者注）到惡魔，他在街頭畫作中被描繪成各種反面人物。

Many of the demonstrators who have set up camp in the main protest zone on Harcourt Road near government headquarters say they have no intention of retreating. But the student-led protest movement has been facing growing calls from Hong Kong residents to stop disrupting traffic and commerce.

政府總部附近的夏愨道是主要抗議區。在這裏安營紮寨的許多示威者表示，他們不打算撤退。但這場學生領導的抗議運動已招致越來越響亮的市民呼籲，要求他們不要擾亂交通和商業活動。

Last week, Alex Chow, head of the Federation of Students, said that the protests were a test for the depth of desire for political reform in Hong Kong.

上週，香港專上學生聯會（簡稱“學聯”）祕書長周永康(Alex Chow)表示，這些抗議是對香港各界對政改渴望深度的考驗。