Hong Kong leader sees 'way out' of chaos through dialogue

Published Aug 20, 2019

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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.

Reuters

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