Hong Kong‘s embattled leader has apologised to the public with “utmost sincerity and humility” after hundreds of thousands of protesters demanded she step down over her handling of a bill that would have allowed extraditions to China.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam “admitted that shortcomings in the government’s work has led to a lot of conflict and disputes in Hong Kong society and has disappointed and distressed many citizens,” a statement from her office said on Sunday.
“The chief executive apologises to the citizens and promises to accept criticism with the most sincere and humble attitude,” it added.
The apology came after a second massive protest in a week over the proposed law.
The protesters formed a sea of black along roads, walkways and train stations across Hong Kong’s financial centre, some carrying white carnation flowers and others holding banners saying, “Do not shoot, we are Hongkongers” – an appeal to police who fired rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters on Wednesday, wounding more than 70 people.
Sunday’s rally came a day after Lam announced she was suspending the proposed law indefinitely. Speaking at a news conference, the Beijing-appointed chief executive expressed “deep sorrow and regret”, but insisted the bill was still needed.
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Hong Kong suspends controversial extradition bill after backlash (0:48) |
It was a dramatic retreat by Lam, but for many opponents, a suspension of the bill was not enough and Sunday’s marchers called for it to be scrapped and Lam to go.
“Our demands are simple. Carrie Lam must leave office, the extradition law must be withdrawn and the police must apologise for using extreme violence against their own people,” bank worker John Chow said as he marched with a group of his friends. “And we will continue.”
Critics of the bill see it as one of many steps chipping away at Hong Kong’s freedoms and legal autonomy, and worry the law could be used to send criminal suspects to China to potentially face vague political charges and unfair trials.
Lam maintains that the extradition legislation is needed if Hong Kong to uphold justice, meet its international obligations and not become a magnet for fugitives. The proposed bill would expand the scope of criminal suspect transfers to include Taiwan, Macau and mainland China.
Martin Lee, founding member of Hong Kong’s Democratic Party, accused Lam’s administration of “rushing” the bill.
“We are not only objecting to the way the government has been handling the passage of the bill, but the very bill itself,” he told Al Jazeera from Hong Kong. “Whether Lam resigns or not, the bill must be scrapped. And then if they really want to discuss then lets discuss on that basis that there is no bill.”
However, Einar Tangen, a political analyst who advises the Chinese government on economic issues, said the idea of an extradition treaty with China after 20 years of talks was “not unreasonable”.
Calling the provisions of the bill “mild”, Tangen said: “If you were accused of a crime by the US government that was more than a year, you could be extradited to the US, but if you were involved with China you could only be extradited for rape, murder and very serious crimes, crimes that would take more than seven years in terms of sentence or possible sentence.”
SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies
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