Protesters have been staging mass sit-ins on three major Hong Kong thoroughfares since September 28, demanding free leadership elections for the semi-autonomous Chinese city in 2017.
China has refused to back down on its insistence that candidates must be vetted by a loyalist committee, a decision critics say is designed to ensure the election of a pro-Beijing stooge.
A court notice ordering protesters to leave the Citic Tower protest area was published yesterday in several local dailies including the English-language South China Morning Post -- a legal requirement before any official action.
"The Plaintiff will be taking steps to enforce this Order with the assistance of the Bailiffs as soon as practicable," the order said regarding the area, bordering the main Admiralty protest site.
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The notice, indicative of an imminent crackdown by authorities, comes as thousands of police officers have been put on standby, according to the local media.
Protesters have come under huge pressure to end their resistance as the disruption caused by their roadblocks has sparked mounting public frustration.
"Civil disobedience (movements), such as (those led by) Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, inspired (others) because of their self-sacrifice, and not because they used residents' livelihoods as bargaining chip to pressure the government," Hong Kong financial secretary John Tsang wrote on his online blog today.
"They should stop the occupation activities, or they will lose the moral high ground," he said.