More than 3,000 arrested in Hong Kong since pro-democracy protests began

It's been nearly 150 days since the pro-democracy protests started in Hong Kong,... as thousands of protestors call for political freedom from Beijing.Local media say scores of people are being arrested every day, as authorities aim to crack down on protestors.Oh Soo-young reports.More than three-thousand Hong Kong citizens have been arrested since the pro-democracy protests began in early June.According to local media,... the number of those arrested hit three-thousand-and-seven as of October 31st, with the daily average sharply rising after city authorities enforced a mask ban early last month.For the first three months, around 15 people were taken into custody on a daily basis, but from mid-September,... the average has grown to 35.This weekend, police made 2-hundred arrests on Saturday alone,... as protesters took to the streets, holding guerilla-style rallies across the island.Buildings including China's official Xinhua news agency were vandalized by protesters, while armed riot police fired tear gas at them.Over the past five months,... the protests have escalated from the initial opposition to an extradition bill that would send criminal suspects to China,... into a push for greater political freedom from Beijing.China pledged last week to tighten control over Hong Kong and Macau, particularly when it comes to national security issues and how the cities' leaders are selected.On Wednesday, Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam will meet China's Vice Premier Han Zheng,and all eyes are on whether China will try to invoke policies to strengthen its control over Hong Kong.Oh Soo-young, Arirang News.