Downtown traffic in Hong Kong has been restored last Monday with the dismantling of the last  barriers put up by the Occupy Movement in major locations  during their pro-democracy protests that lasted for two months.

Hong Kong police destroyed various makeshift barriers that the protesters had put up on a hundred meter-long at Causeway Bay, one of Hong Kong's busiest shopping areas ahead of the Christmas holiday.

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The Occupy Movement blockaded several main thoroughfares and roads in Kowloon and Hong Kong Island to show anger and defiance over the refusal of the Chinese government to allow them to choose the next chief executive of the region.

Hong Kong officials said the Occupy Movement had disrupted the normal way of life in the region with the  temporary closure of banks and schools, a slump in stock market trading, a decrease in tourist arrivals aside from the daily serious clashes between the police and the protesters.

The police and the bailiffs had earlier cleared Mong Kok and Admiralty of occupy sites before they tackled Causeway Bay.

"To avoid large scale confrontations and bloodshed, police have exercised a high degree of tolerance and restraint in the past 79 days to deal with illegal acts of unlawful assemblies and illegal blockage of major thoroughfares at various locations in Hong Kong, " said Commissioner of Police Andy Tsang, Hong Kong's top-ranking police officer.

Tsang said the police were forced  to exercise "minimum level of force" on the protesters who turned violent during the clearing operation for the first nine days.

Reports said around 955 protesters, so far, have been arrested for allegedly committing various offenses during the occupation. Tsang said the police will complete their investigations and identify the principal instigators within three months.

Tsang said some 70 protesters surrendered peacefully to the police during the clearing operation.

The Transport Department announced Monday that all the transport services disrupted by the protests have been restored.

Tagstraffic, Causeway Bay, protesters, hong kong protests, Occupy Movement