Police try to disperse the crowd near the government headquarters in Hong Kong (Reuters)
Hong Kong police cleared a pro-democracy protest site in the city's densely populated Mongkok area early on Friday, meeting no resistance as they removed barricades and tents.
The Mongkok site -- which was nearly empty when police moved in -- has seen violent scuffles between demonstrators calling for full democracy in the southern Chinese city and opposition groups during almost three weeks of rallies.
The site is separate to the largest protest site outside government offices in the Admiralty district on the city's main island, where tens of thousands have intermittently rallied, and battled with police.
Protesters are demanding free leadership elections for the semi-autonomous city, but China insists that candidates for a 2017 vote must be vetted by a committee loyal to Beijing.