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.

香港警方昨日在商业区打通了一条已被民主抗议封堵大约两周的交通要道。抗议瘫痪了这个中国特别行政区的部分地区。

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.

在抗议者在晚间竖起新的竹制路障后，警方开始拆除金钟道（金钟区一条主要道路，香港的有轨电车在此经过）上的路障。警方强迫剩余的少量抗议者移除他们的帐篷，以便打通道路，让车辆通行。

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.

支持学生的31岁艺术家乔治•黄(George Wong)称，政府与示威者之间的僵局类似于“新冷战思维”。他说，留在抗议现场的示威者决心坚持到底。

“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.

“对于封路造成市民不便，我们也很遗憾……但我们是为了一个很好的理由封路，”乔治•黄说。他补充说，把抗议活动转移到公园将使抗议者在政府面前失去所有筹码。

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.

香港在过去两周经历了自1997年回归中国以来最糟糕的骚乱。学生和其他民主活动人士占领了该市的一些关键地方，抗议中国为香港制定的选举改革方案。

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.

两周前走上街头批评香港和中央政府的数万（甚至可能有数十万）抗议者，近日已大幅减少。但小股抗议者仍在几条交通要道上安营扎寨，堵住了这些道路。

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.

打通金钟道是政府战略的一环，目的是蚂蚁啃堤般地削弱抗议运动，而不诉诸可能加剧紧张局势、引发市民同情抗议者的战术。一名警官表示，政府已要求警方采取温和姿态。两周前，警方曾向抗议者发射催泪瓦斯，此举被证明事与愿违，因为它使抗议运动赢得更多支持。

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.

在平时人气颇高的购物区铜锣湾，几十名整夜坚守的抗议者被消防部门和警方的大喇叭广播吵到凌晨3时才得以小睡片刻。清晨5时刚过，他们被再次惊醒，数百名警察迅速开进拆除路障，打通一条车道让车辆通行。

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时30分，抗议者的营地已经缩小至一个电车站周围的20顶帐篷，大约100人坐着，身边是大堆的食物和瓶装水。

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.

铜锣湾的抗议者仍然态度坚决，但都清楚知道自己在这部分市区能够坚持的时间不多了。许多人预计自己很快就会被驱离——不是被警察，而是被当地黑帮。

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.

拒绝透露姓氏的30岁秘书凯瑟琳(Catherine)表示，如果抗议者被武力驱逐，他们将“找到其它抗议途径”。“我们将努力保护我们的城市，直到最后一分钟，”她说。

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.

表态支持中央选举改革方案的香港行政长官梁振英(CY Leung)，成为了抗议者的攻击对象。从匹诺曹（《木偶奇遇记》主角——译者注）到恶魔，他在街头画作中被描绘成各种反面人物。

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.

政府总部附近的夏悫道是主要抗议区。在这里安营扎寨的许多示威者表示，他们不打算撤退。但这场学生领导的抗议运动已招致越来越响亮的市民呼吁，要求他们不要扰乱交通和商业活动。

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.

上周，香港专上学生联会（简称“学联”）秘书长周永康(Alex Chow)表示，这些抗议是对香港各界对政改渴望深度的考验。