Hong Kong police remove some barricades as protest enters 3rd week

Police officers look at an altar of Chinese Taoist God of War, Guan Yu, set up as a barricade built by pro-democracy protesters on a main road in Hong Kong's Mongkok district, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2014. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

HONG KONG - Hong Kong police have removed some barricades used by pro-democracy protesters who have been occupying main roads in the Asian financial centre for two weeks.

Officers took away unmanned metal barricades at the edges of the city's Central financial district early Monday, ahead of the rush hour.

Dozens of protesters milled around or rested by their tents on the street.

Police said they didn't want to clear the entire protest zone but instead wanted to relieve congestion and reduce the chance of traffic accidents.

The student-led protesters are occupying a busy thoroughfare as well as streets in two shopping districts. They want the government to drop plans to use a pro-Beijing committee to screen candidates in the territory's inaugural 2017 election for top leader.