Review | Occupy Central Clearance: Full coverage of Thursday night's events
The operation has gone smoothly, with much of Harcourt Road cleared of obstruction, paving the way for the reopening of two major roads.
Good evening and welcome to scmp.com's live coverage of the police operation to clear the remaining Occupy sites, after 74 days of protest. The plan has gone smoothly, with much of Harcourt Road cleared of obstruction. Police also arrested several lawmakers, activists and Occupy leaders after they defied warnings to leave.
12.19pm: That's it and thank you for staying tuned to our live blog. Catch all the latest on our print edition and SCMP.com.
12.02am: Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying faced the press to talk about the police officer who slipped into a coma during today's operations. Leung, accompanied by the health department chief, said he wished a speedy recovery for the man.
A police source told the South China Morning Post that the police sergeant who collapsed was 49 years old, and joined the police force in 1982. He was promoted to sergeant in 1998 and now works for the Central police district's patrol sub-unit.
"He started work at 7am on Thursday and his shift hasn't finished yet when he was found unconscious [shortly after 7pm]," the source said. "His work is mainly supporting the operation ... And he has been working every day since mid-October."
The source added that the sergeant's heartbeat had stopped for a short while, and the doctor is yet to confirm the cause for his collapse, as he only has a minor flu and a clean medical history.
