HONG KONG - Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam
said on Tuesday she hoped a peaceful weekend anti-government
protest was the start of an effort to restore peace and that
dialogue with peaceful protesters would provide a "way out" for
the Chinese-ruled city.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters rallied peacefully in
torrential rain on Sunday in the eleventh week of what have been
often violent demonstrations.
"I sincerely hope that this was the beginning of society
returning to peace and staying away from violence," Lam said.
"...We will immediately start the work to establish a
platform for dialogue. This dialogue, I hope, will be based on a
mutual understanding and respect and find a way out for today’s
Hong Kong."
Anger erupted in June over a now-suspended bill that would
allow criminal suspects in the former British colony to be
extradited to mainland China.
But the unrest has been fuelled by broader worries about the
erosion of freedoms guaranteed under the "one country, two
systems" formula put in place after Hong Kong's return to China
in 1997, including an independent judiciary and the right to
protest.
Further protests are planned in the next few days, including
one by MTR subway workers on Wednesday, secondary school
students on Thursday and accountants on Friday.
The chaos has spread overseas. Twitter Inc and
Facebook Inc said on Monday they had dismantled a social
media campaign originating in mainland China that sought to
undermine protests in Hong Kong.
Sunday's turnout, which organisers put at 1.7 million,
showed that the movement still has widespread support despite
chaotic scenes last week when protesters occupied the airport.
Some activists had apologised for the airport turmoil and
protesters could be seen on Sunday night urging others to go
home peacefully.
AGGRESSIVE TACTICS
Aside from Lam's resignation, demonstrators have five
demands - complete withdrawal of the extradition bill, a halt to
descriptions of the protests as "rioting", a waiver of charges
against those arrested, an independent inquiry and resumption of
political reform.
"The second question I have repeatedly replied on various
locations and I can give you this very clear commitment at the
political level is that the bill is dead," Lam said. "There is
no plan to revive the bill, especially in light of the public
concerns."
Police have been criticised for using increasingly
aggressive tactics to break up demonstrations but there was a
minimal police presence on Sunday and no arrests were made. More
than 700 people have been arrested since June.
Lam said the police watchdog had set up a task force to
investigate complaints.
The protests have hit the economy of Hong Kong, one of the
world's busiest ports, with the Asian financial hub on the verge
of its first recession in a decade.
Lam said she hoped Hong Kong had "unique advantages in
attracting overseas companies", stressing the rule of law, but
warned of the risk of pressure on the economy which shrank 0.4%
in April-June from the previous quarter.
“The Hong Kong economy is facing the risk of downturn. We
can see this from the data in the first half. Actually, I think
the data in the first half has not fully reflected the
seriousness of the problem," she said.
Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury James Lau
said on RTHK Radio that the likelihood of recession was "quite
considerable".
China has put strong pressure on big companies in Hong Kong
over the protests, especially Cathay Pacific Airways.
CEO Rupert Hogg quit in a shock move last week after Beijing
targeted the airline over staff involvement in the protests.
Hogg's sudden departure was announced by Chinese state
television on Friday and was seen as a signal to other
multinationals, such as HSBC Holdings and Jardine
Matheson Holdings, to support Beijing.
Cathay also fired two pilots for taking part in protests.
China's State Council on Monday called for greater
development of the southern city of Shenzhen and integration of
its culture and economy with neighbouring Hong Kong and Macau, a
former Portuguese-run enclave that returned to China in 1999.
The Council called for greater development of the so-called
Greater Bay Area and to enrich the "one country, two systems"
policy.