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Winnie Xi shitting his pants over HK right now!! Readying his PLA troops!!
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Hong Kong protesters fear the reach of Beijing, so they're refusing to show their faces
By Nick Dole
Posted earlier today at 3:45am
PHOTO: Protesters fear police in the future be able to use digital records to extradite them to the mainland. (ABC News: Nick Dole)
RELATED STORY: Hong Kong to suspend controversial extradition bill after mass protests
RELATED STORY: 'It's madness': Hong Kong police say they're 'trapped in the middle' amid unprecedented unrest
RELATED STORY: Hong Kong police use tear gas against protesters trying to storm city's legislature
Many Hong Kongers are happy to tell you what they think of their government.
Key points:
Some will let you name them and take their photo.
However, there are many others who'll share their opinions with the world — but not their identities.
"Police are monitoring social media and searching cyber records," said Edmund, a 25-year-old social worker.
PHOTO: William, a protestor, believes that knowledge of his dissent would impact his future career prospects.(ABC News: Nick Dole)
Both of them are vowing to take part in more mass protests on Sunday, despite the Government suspending the passage of its controversial extradition bill.
While the Government insisted the bill was necessary to prevent criminals seeking refuge in Hong Kong, opponents warned it could be used to send those who fall foul of Beijing to the mainland for punishment.
When Hong Kong's embattled leader Carrie Lam announced the suspension on Saturday, many Hongkongers were watching it live on their phones.
PHOTO: Many Hongkongers watched their chief executive back down on the controversial extradition bill live.(ABC News: Nick Dole)
Carrie Lam told them she would be more consultative.
"I would like to emphasise that we are open and we will listen to all views concerning the bill from society," she said.
Edmund was not impressed by what he heard.
PHOTO: Ordinary Hongkongers were not able to directly elect their chief executive, Carrie Lam. (AP: Vincent Yu, File)
He said he had little hope the Chief Executive would abandon the plan entirely, as she was elected by a committee with strong links to Beijing.
A timeline of key events
When Britain handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997, remaining citizens were promised British capitalism and laws. In the intervening years, some argue that Beijing has squandered its promises.
"This is one of the hopeless things in Hong Kong," he said.
While the anti-extradition movement has attracted widespread support, some Hongkongers believe the Chief Executive was well-intentioned.
Lara Chiang, a language tutor, said she wanted to see the extradition law passed, even if it meant sending people to mainland China.
"If you don't do anything against the law, you should not be afraid."
PHOTO: Ms Chiang believes people should recognise the reality of Hong Kong being transferred to Chinese rule.(ABC News: Nick Dole)
Was democracy ever promised?
Martin Lee, a lawyer who helped draft Hong Kong's constitution, says the people of Hong Kong were promised democracy. ABC Fact Check finds his claim is overstated.
"We are part of China, people should understand that," she said.
But protester William said he only felt part of China "by geography".
When the British handed over Hong Kong, they secured a guarantee from China that the territory would retain a high degree of autonomy for a period of 50 years.
William believes that guarantee is eroding, pointing to the police's use of tear gas and rubber bullets during demonstrations.
"We're so worried," he said.
By Nick Dole
Posted earlier today at 3:45am
PHOTO: Protesters fear police in the future be able to use digital records to extradite them to the mainland. (ABC News: Nick Dole)RELATED STORY: Hong Kong to suspend controversial extradition bill after mass protests
RELATED STORY: 'It's madness': Hong Kong police say they're 'trapped in the middle' amid unprecedented unrest
RELATED STORY: Hong Kong police use tear gas against protesters trying to storm city's legislature
Many Hong Kongers are happy to tell you what they think of their government.
Key points:
- Some Hongkongers fear their participation in protests could be used against them by police or employers
- Protesters do not believe a controversial extradition bill has been defeated
- Other Hongkongers say the city is part of China, and people need to accept that
Some will let you name them and take their photo.
However, there are many others who'll share their opinions with the world — but not their identities.
"Police are monitoring social media and searching cyber records," said Edmund, a 25-year-old social worker.
"If this extradition bill one day passes then [Beijing] will have evidence they can use against us in the future," he said.
Another protester, William, 24, said sharing his opinions publicly could affect his career."If I apply for a job, then my employer might see I was a protester. If they were pro-Beijing, that could cause problems," he said.
PHOTO: William, a protestor, believes that knowledge of his dissent would impact his future career prospects.(ABC News: Nick Dole)Both of them are vowing to take part in more mass protests on Sunday, despite the Government suspending the passage of its controversial extradition bill.
While the Government insisted the bill was necessary to prevent criminals seeking refuge in Hong Kong, opponents warned it could be used to send those who fall foul of Beijing to the mainland for punishment.
When Hong Kong's embattled leader Carrie Lam announced the suspension on Saturday, many Hongkongers were watching it live on their phones.
PHOTO: Many Hongkongers watched their chief executive back down on the controversial extradition bill live.(ABC News: Nick Dole)Carrie Lam told them she would be more consultative.
"I would like to emphasise that we are open and we will listen to all views concerning the bill from society," she said.
Edmund was not impressed by what he heard.
"That's bullshit," he said.
"She's not taking any responsibility."
PHOTO: Ordinary Hongkongers were not able to directly elect their chief executive, Carrie Lam. (AP: Vincent Yu, File)He said he had little hope the Chief Executive would abandon the plan entirely, as she was elected by a committee with strong links to Beijing.
A timeline of key events
When Britain handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997, remaining citizens were promised British capitalism and laws. In the intervening years, some argue that Beijing has squandered its promises.
"This is one of the hopeless things in Hong Kong," he said.
"No matter who is sitting in that position, they will still be assigned by the Beijing Government."
'We are part of China'While the anti-extradition movement has attracted widespread support, some Hongkongers believe the Chief Executive was well-intentioned.
Lara Chiang, a language tutor, said she wanted to see the extradition law passed, even if it meant sending people to mainland China.
"If you don't do anything against the law, you should not be afraid."
PHOTO: Ms Chiang believes people should recognise the reality of Hong Kong being transferred to Chinese rule.(ABC News: Nick Dole)"Some people don't like China. I agree, China has some shortcomings [but] each government has their own shortcomings."
She said some of the protesters needed to accept Hong Kong's future changed course when the United Kingdom handed it over in 1997.Was democracy ever promised?
Martin Lee, a lawyer who helped draft Hong Kong's constitution, says the people of Hong Kong were promised democracy. ABC Fact Check finds his claim is overstated.
"We are part of China, people should understand that," she said.
But protester William said he only felt part of China "by geography".
When the British handed over Hong Kong, they secured a guarantee from China that the territory would retain a high degree of autonomy for a period of 50 years.
William believes that guarantee is eroding, pointing to the police's use of tear gas and rubber bullets during demonstrations.
"We're so worried," he said.
"It's only 20-something years and Hong Kong is passing these bills that destroy Hong Kong's freedoms."
Hongkan people ki siao liao. Ownself fall down and die also blame chenghu. Lol
It just shows what a failure ah tiong commies are, half the HK popn are born after 97 and yet they are the most anti ah tiongs ppl...if ah tiong gahmen soo good,,,would ppl be this pissed off? and yet the poms are more popular with the HK than with ah tiongs,,,perhaps the commies should look at themselves,,and just shows HK ppl are different from ah tiongs,,,the Hongkies need to emphasis the differences with the ah tiongs and not the similarities,,,,Cantonese language is the most different from mandarin,,,they are not the same people,,,and not the same race
Carrie Lam apologises to Hong Kong residents after protesters flood the streets
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
Protesters wave their mobile phone lights during a protest against an extradition bill in Hong Kong on Sunday, Jun 16, 2019. (Photo: AP/Vincent Yu)
16 Jun 2019 03:17PM (Updated: 16 Jun 2019 09:11PM)
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HONG KONG: Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Sunday (Jun 16) apologised to Hong Kong residents and promised to "sincerely and humbly accept all criticism and to improve and serve the public".
The statement was released from the government information service at 8.30pm, after hundreds of thousands of black-clad protesters in Hong Kong demanded that the city's leader step down over her handling of a bill that would have allowed extradition to China, and which sparked one of the most violent protests in decades.
Advertisement
READ: Leaderless and livid - the youngsters on Hong Kong front lines
READ: Hong Kong braces for huge rally after leader climbdown
The protesters formed a sea of black along roads, walkways and train stations across Hong Kong's financial centre to vent their frustration and anger at Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam.
Advertisement
"It’s much bigger today. Many more people," said one protester who gave her name as Ms Wong. "I came today because of what happened on Wednesday, with the police violence."
Some protestors carried white carnation flowers and others held banners saying, "Do not shoot, we are HongKonger" - an appeal to police who fired rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters on Wednesday, injuring more than 70 people.
Loud cheers rang out when activists called through loud hailers for Lam's resignation and and the cry "step down" echoed through the streets. Protesters also chanted "pursue the black police", angry at what they feel was an overreaction by police.
Beijing-backed Lam on Saturday indefinitely delayed an extradition bill that would have allowed people to be sent to mainland China for trial, expressing "deep sorrow and regret" although she stopped short of apologising.
image:
Protesters carry a huge banner that reads "Our hearts are torn to pieces. Withdraw the monstrous bill" as they march on the streets against an extradition bill in Hong Kong on Jun 16, 2019. (Photo: AP)
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.
"We want to pressure our government because (they) didn’t respond to our first march," said Icy Tang, newly graduated from university in Hong Kong. "So we are coming for the second time - and hope she will listen."
The about-face was one of the most significant political turnarounds by the Hong Kong government since Britain returned the territory to China in 1997, and it threw into question Lam's ability to continue to lead the city.
"She's a terrible leader who is full of lies ... I think she's only delaying the bill now to trick us into calming down," said 16-year-old Catherine Cheung.
Her classmate, Cindy Yip, said: "That's why we're still demanding the bill be scrapped. We don't trust her anymore. She has to quit."
Critics say the planned extradition law could threaten Hong Kong's rule of law and its international reputation as an Asian financial hub. Some Hong Kong tycoons have already started moving personal wealth offshore.
READ: In full - Carrie Lam's speech as Hong Kong's controversial extradition Bill is suspended
Activist investor David Webb, in a newsletter on Sunday, said if Lam was a stock he would recommend shorting her with a target price of zero.
"Call it the Carrie trade. She has irrevocably lost the public's trust," Webb said.
"Her minders in Beijing, while expressing public support for now, have clearly lined her up for the chop by distancing themselves from the proposal in recent days."
READ: Hong Kong tycoons start moving assets offshore as fears rise over new extradition law
China's Communist Party mouthpiece, the People's Daily, said in a commentary on Sunday that central authorities expressed "firm support" for Lam.
POLITICAL CRISIS
image: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/ima...st-weekend-s-record-rally-1560682875065-5.jpg
The crowd looked similar in size to last weekend's record rally AFP/Anthony WALLACE
The protests have plunged Hong Kong into political crisis, just as months of pro-democracy "Occupy" demonstrations did in 2014, heaping pressure on Lam's administration and her official backers in Beijing.
The turmoil comes at a difficult time for Beijing, which is already grappling with an escalating U.S. trade war, a faltering economy and tensions in the South China Sea.
Chinese censors have been working hard to erase or block news of the Hong Kong protests, wary that any large public rallies could inspire protests in the mainland.
image: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/ima...huge-crowds-of-protesters-1560682875065-3.jpg
Hong Kong's streets were filled once more with huge crowds of protesters AFP/HECTOR RETAMAL
The violent clashes near the heart of the financial centre on Wednesday grabbed global headlines and forced some shops and banks, including HSBC, to shut branches.
In a weekly blog post published on Sunday, Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan sounded a reassuring note about the city's financial position.
"Even if the external environment continues to be unclear and the social atmosphere is tense recently, overall Hong Kong's economic and financial markets are still operating in a stable and orderly manner," he wrote.
At the start of the march, protesters paused for a minute's silence to remember an activist who died from a fall on Saturday near the site of the recent demonstrations.
READ: Flowers pile up for dead Hong Kong protester
image: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/ima.../xB/hong-kong-protest-stop-killing-banner.jpg
Protesters hold up placards as they take part in a new rally against a controversial extradition law proposal in Hong Kong on Jun 16, 2019. (Photo: AFP/Dale DE LA REY)
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
Protesters attending Sunday's rally against the divisive bill were urged to bring a flower to leave at the site AFP/DALE DE LA REY
In the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which China claims as its own, about 5,000 people rallied outside the parliament building in Taipei with banners saying, "No China extradition law" and "Taiwan supports Hong Kong."
Some of the protesters in Hong Kong also waved Taiwan flags.
"EXTENSIVE MEDDLING"
The city's independent legal system was guaranteed under laws governing Hong Kong's return from British to Chinese rule 22 years ago, and is seen by business and diplomatic communities as its strongest asset.
Hong Kong has been governed under a "one country, two systems" formula since its return to Beijing, allowing freedoms not enjoyed in mainland China but not a fully democratic vote.
image: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/ima...st-hong-kong-s-government-1560682875065-6.jpg
Thousands of protesters dressed in black rallied against Hong Kong's government AFP/Dale DE LA REY
Many accuse Beijing of extensive meddling since then, including obstruction of democratic reforms, interference with elections and of being behind the disappearance of five Hong Kong-based booksellers, starting in 2015, who specialised in works critical of Chinese leaders.
Some opponents of the extradition bill said a suspension was not enough and want it scrapped and Lam to go.
"If she refuses to scrap this controversial bill altogether, it would mean we wouldn't retreat. She stays on, we stay on," said pro-democracy lawmaker Claudia Mo.
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
Many protesters are calling for Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam to step down AFP/HECTOR RETAMAL
Asked repeatedly on Saturday if she would step down, Lam avoided answering directly and appealed to the public to "give us another chance." Lam said she had been a civil servant for decades and still had work she wanted to do.
Lam's reversal was hailed by business groups including the American Chamber of Commerce, which had spoken out strongly against the bill, and overseas governments.
The UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said on Twitter: "Well done HK Government for heeding concerns of the brave citizens who have stood up for their human rights".
image: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/ima...ce7cb1b57b8817d/Yv/hong-kong-british-flag.jpg
A woman waves a British flag as protesters gather to take part in a new rally against a controversial extradition law proposal in Hong Kong on Jun 16, 2019. (Photo: AFP/HECTOR RETAMAL)
China's top newspaper on Sunday condemned "anti-China lackeys" of foreign forces in Hong Kong.
"Certain people in Hong Kong have been relying on foreigners or relying on young people to build themselves up, serving as the pawns and lackeys of foreign anti-China forces," the ruling People's Daily said in a commentary.
"This is resolutely opposed by the whole of the Chinese people including the vast majority of Hong Kong compatriots."
image: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/ima...618/CM/hong-kong-protests-1560682875065-2.jpg
Graphic on a week of mass protests in Hong Kong against the extradition bill AFP
The Hong Kong protests have been the largest in the city since crowds came out against the bloody suppression of pro-democracy demonstrations centred around Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Jun 4, 1989.
Lam had said the extradition law was necessary to prevent criminals using Hong Kong as a place to hide and that human rights would be protected by the city's court which would decide on the extraditions on a case-by-case basis.
Critics, including leading lawyers and rights groups, note China's justice system is controlled by the Communist Party, and say it is marked by torture and forced confessions, arbitrary detention and poor access to lawyers.
Source: Reuters/jt
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...otesters-demand-carrie-lam-step-down-11631706
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
Protesters wave their mobile phone lights during a protest against an extradition bill in Hong Kong on Sunday, Jun 16, 2019. (Photo: AP/Vincent Yu)
16 Jun 2019 03:17PM (Updated: 16 Jun 2019 09:11PM)
Share this content
HONG KONG: Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Sunday (Jun 16) apologised to Hong Kong residents and promised to "sincerely and humbly accept all criticism and to improve and serve the public".
The statement was released from the government information service at 8.30pm, after hundreds of thousands of black-clad protesters in Hong Kong demanded that the city's leader step down over her handling of a bill that would have allowed extradition to China, and which sparked one of the most violent protests in decades.
Advertisement
READ: Leaderless and livid - the youngsters on Hong Kong front lines
READ: Hong Kong braces for huge rally after leader climbdown
The protesters formed a sea of black along roads, walkways and train stations across Hong Kong's financial centre to vent their frustration and anger at Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam.
Advertisement
"It’s much bigger today. Many more people," said one protester who gave her name as Ms Wong. "I came today because of what happened on Wednesday, with the police violence."
Some protestors carried white carnation flowers and others held banners saying, "Do not shoot, we are HongKonger" - an appeal to police who fired rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters on Wednesday, injuring more than 70 people.
Loud cheers rang out when activists called through loud hailers for Lam's resignation and and the cry "step down" echoed through the streets. Protesters also chanted "pursue the black police", angry at what they feel was an overreaction by police.
Beijing-backed Lam on Saturday indefinitely delayed an extradition bill that would have allowed people to be sent to mainland China for trial, expressing "deep sorrow and regret" although she stopped short of apologising.
image:
Protesters carry a huge banner that reads "Our hearts are torn to pieces. Withdraw the monstrous bill" as they march on the streets against an extradition bill in Hong Kong on Jun 16, 2019. (Photo: AP)
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.
"We want to pressure our government because (they) didn’t respond to our first march," said Icy Tang, newly graduated from university in Hong Kong. "So we are coming for the second time - and hope she will listen."
The about-face was one of the most significant political turnarounds by the Hong Kong government since Britain returned the territory to China in 1997, and it threw into question Lam's ability to continue to lead the city.
"She's a terrible leader who is full of lies ... I think she's only delaying the bill now to trick us into calming down," said 16-year-old Catherine Cheung.
Her classmate, Cindy Yip, said: "That's why we're still demanding the bill be scrapped. We don't trust her anymore. She has to quit."
Critics say the planned extradition law could threaten Hong Kong's rule of law and its international reputation as an Asian financial hub. Some Hong Kong tycoons have already started moving personal wealth offshore.
READ: In full - Carrie Lam's speech as Hong Kong's controversial extradition Bill is suspended
Activist investor David Webb, in a newsletter on Sunday, said if Lam was a stock he would recommend shorting her with a target price of zero.
"Call it the Carrie trade. She has irrevocably lost the public's trust," Webb said.
"Her minders in Beijing, while expressing public support for now, have clearly lined her up for the chop by distancing themselves from the proposal in recent days."
READ: Hong Kong tycoons start moving assets offshore as fears rise over new extradition law
China's Communist Party mouthpiece, the People's Daily, said in a commentary on Sunday that central authorities expressed "firm support" for Lam.
POLITICAL CRISIS
image: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/ima...st-weekend-s-record-rally-1560682875065-5.jpg
The protests have plunged Hong Kong into political crisis, just as months of pro-democracy "Occupy" demonstrations did in 2014, heaping pressure on Lam's administration and her official backers in Beijing.
The turmoil comes at a difficult time for Beijing, which is already grappling with an escalating U.S. trade war, a faltering economy and tensions in the South China Sea.
Chinese censors have been working hard to erase or block news of the Hong Kong protests, wary that any large public rallies could inspire protests in the mainland.
image: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/ima...huge-crowds-of-protesters-1560682875065-3.jpg
The violent clashes near the heart of the financial centre on Wednesday grabbed global headlines and forced some shops and banks, including HSBC, to shut branches.
In a weekly blog post published on Sunday, Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan sounded a reassuring note about the city's financial position.
"Even if the external environment continues to be unclear and the social atmosphere is tense recently, overall Hong Kong's economic and financial markets are still operating in a stable and orderly manner," he wrote.
At the start of the march, protesters paused for a minute's silence to remember an activist who died from a fall on Saturday near the site of the recent demonstrations.
READ: Flowers pile up for dead Hong Kong protester
image: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/ima.../xB/hong-kong-protest-stop-killing-banner.jpg
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
Protesters attending Sunday's rally against the divisive bill were urged to bring a flower to leave at the site AFP/DALE DE LA REY
In the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which China claims as its own, about 5,000 people rallied outside the parliament building in Taipei with banners saying, "No China extradition law" and "Taiwan supports Hong Kong."
Some of the protesters in Hong Kong also waved Taiwan flags.
"EXTENSIVE MEDDLING"
The city's independent legal system was guaranteed under laws governing Hong Kong's return from British to Chinese rule 22 years ago, and is seen by business and diplomatic communities as its strongest asset.
Hong Kong has been governed under a "one country, two systems" formula since its return to Beijing, allowing freedoms not enjoyed in mainland China but not a fully democratic vote.
image: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/ima...st-hong-kong-s-government-1560682875065-6.jpg
Many accuse Beijing of extensive meddling since then, including obstruction of democratic reforms, interference with elections and of being behind the disappearance of five Hong Kong-based booksellers, starting in 2015, who specialised in works critical of Chinese leaders.
Some opponents of the extradition bill said a suspension was not enough and want it scrapped and Lam to go.
"If she refuses to scrap this controversial bill altogether, it would mean we wouldn't retreat. She stays on, we stay on," said pro-democracy lawmaker Claudia Mo.
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
Many protesters are calling for Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam to step down AFP/HECTOR RETAMAL
Asked repeatedly on Saturday if she would step down, Lam avoided answering directly and appealed to the public to "give us another chance." Lam said she had been a civil servant for decades and still had work she wanted to do.
Lam's reversal was hailed by business groups including the American Chamber of Commerce, which had spoken out strongly against the bill, and overseas governments.
The UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said on Twitter: "Well done HK Government for heeding concerns of the brave citizens who have stood up for their human rights".
image: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/ima...ce7cb1b57b8817d/Yv/hong-kong-british-flag.jpg
China's top newspaper on Sunday condemned "anti-China lackeys" of foreign forces in Hong Kong.
"Certain people in Hong Kong have been relying on foreigners or relying on young people to build themselves up, serving as the pawns and lackeys of foreign anti-China forces," the ruling People's Daily said in a commentary.
"This is resolutely opposed by the whole of the Chinese people including the vast majority of Hong Kong compatriots."
image: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/ima...618/CM/hong-kong-protests-1560682875065-2.jpg
The Hong Kong protests have been the largest in the city since crowds came out against the bloody suppression of pro-democracy demonstrations centred around Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Jun 4, 1989.
Lam had said the extradition law was necessary to prevent criminals using Hong Kong as a place to hide and that human rights would be protected by the city's court which would decide on the extraditions on a case-by-case basis.
Critics, including leading lawyers and rights groups, note China's justice system is controlled by the Communist Party, and say it is marked by torture and forced confessions, arbitrary detention and poor access to lawyers.
Source: Reuters/jt
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...otesters-demand-carrie-lam-step-down-11631706
Hong Kong's chief executive Carrie Lam fights for her political life
YESTERDAY AT 6:25AM
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PHOTO
Carrie Lam is Hong Kong's first female leader, appointed by a Beijing-dominated panel in 2017.
AP: VINCENT YU, FILE
Hong Kong's Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, steadily climbed her way up bureaucratic ranks to capture the top position in the former British colony, relying on intelligence, ambition, canny networking and an astute deference to authority.
Key points:
The bill would have compelled Hong Kong to hand over locals and foreigners to Chinese justice authorities for the first time in the territory's history.
On Saturday however, it appeared as though Hong Kong's self-styled Iron Lady had cracked, suspending her plans to introduce the bill despite previously making repeated statements to the contrary.
Now, with extradition plans paused, the leader finds herself staring down an angry populace, and bosses in Beijing who want her to push through unpopular measures seen to be eroding the liberties that China promised to protect for at least 50 years after it regained sovereignty over the territory from Britain in 1997.
Who is Carrie Lam?
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.
VIDEO 0:50
Ms Lam, who has worked in Hong Kong politics since the 1980s, says she would never "sell out" the city.
ABC NEWS
Carrie Lam, 62, is Hong Kong's first female leader and its fourth leader since Britain ended its colonial rule in 1997.
She was not directly elected by the territory's people, but rather ushered into office in 2017 by the vote of a 1,194-member committee dominated by pro-Beijing elites, despite being far less popular than her main rival.
'Everyone is feeling more despair'
A look back at Hong Kong's handover to China 21 years later.
She has a reputation as an efficient and pragmatic administrator.
But she was unpopular with Hongkongers even before she took office because she was seen as a proxy for Beijing who was out of touch with ordinary people.
Unlike many in the top ranks of Hong Kong's leadership, Ms Lam comes from a humble background.
She grew up in the downtown Wanchai district, the fourth of five children.
She attended a Catholic girls school, the University of Hong Kong and later Cambridge University.
She is married to a mathematician and has two sons. They are British citizens, but Ms Lam is not.
'She needed a dinghy and she deployed the Titanic'
PHOTO Despite being under Beijing's rule, many Hongkongers enjoy liberties unknown to their mainland peers.
ABC NEWS: KATHRYN DISS
Critics of her extradition plan highlighted the opaque nature of China's justice system — one which is widely criticised for forced confessions, arbitrary detentions and one-sided trials — which stands in stark contrast to the British-derived system of common law that Hong Kong currently enjoys.
A timeline of key events
When Britain handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997, remaining citizens were promised British capitalism and laws. In the intervening years, some argue that Beijing has squandered its promises.
Worries over the bill's impact on Hong Kong's international standing as a financial hub with a respected legal system were building in Washington, London and other European capitals, but Ms Lam stressed the need for the extradition law to help solve the murder of a Hong Kong woman in Taiwan.
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.
VIDEO 0:33
Protesters say they are fighting for the civil liberties that China was supposed to protect after Hong Kong's British handover.
ABC NEWS
'Xi is not a leader who tolerates failures'
The events of the past week presents Chinese President Xi Jinping with a new crisis — and Hong Kong's biggest since its handover to Beijing.
Beijing's grip over Hong Kong has intensified markedly since Mr Xi took power in 2012, and after the city's protracted 2014 pro-democracy street protests.
Umbrella protests one year on
Pro-democracy protests brought Hong Kong to a standstill for 79 days and China's leadership shows no sign of budging on reform. A look back at why.
He warned in 2017 that any attempts to undermine Chinese sovereignty were a "red line" that Beijing would not allow to be crossed — warnings that reinforced his strongman image among Hongkongers.
A source with ties to China's leadership who meets regularly with senior officials — who declined to be named — said the Hong Kong Government had handled the extradition saga badly.
PHOTO Ms Lam was promoted to the top job in 2017.
AP: KIN CHEUNG'The protest was the turning point'
Retired senior Hong Kong government official Joseph Wong said he was shocked by Beijing's U-turn, but the situation had become so untenable that he believed it had led to a change after an alleged meeting with Ms Lam and Chinese Vice-Premier Han Zheng.
"I suspect ... [Han] would have had to consider, are we prepared to continue to fire rubber bullets or even real bullets in order to get this through, and what would be the implications for the central government internationally, vis-a-vis the US?" Mr Wong said.
VIDEO 1:22
Actions against protesters turned violent, with tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets being used.
ABC NEWS
Ms Lam has refused calls from the opposition and protesters to step down but her ability to govern has been questioned on numerous fronts, including her failure to gauge the pulse in Hong Kong, the broader US-China relationship, and Taiwan's refusal to accept any extradition bill, undermining her core argument the bill would resolve the Taiwan murder case.
Political scientist Mr Tsang said he did not expect the current chief executive to last much longer as leader.
ABC/wires
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PHOTO
Carrie Lam is Hong Kong's first female leader, appointed by a Beijing-dominated panel in 2017.
AP: VINCENT YU, FILE
Hong Kong's Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, steadily climbed her way up bureaucratic ranks to capture the top position in the former British colony, relying on intelligence, ambition, canny networking and an astute deference to authority.
Key points:
- Carrie Lam is Hong Kong's first female leader, whose term will expire in 2022
- Her leadership faltered after she tried to pass through an extradition bill with the mainland
- It remains unclear if Ms Lam will remain in Hong Kong's top job
The bill would have compelled Hong Kong to hand over locals and foreigners to Chinese justice authorities for the first time in the territory's history.
On Saturday however, it appeared as though Hong Kong's self-styled Iron Lady had cracked, suspending her plans to introduce the bill despite previously making repeated statements to the contrary.
Now, with extradition plans paused, the leader finds herself staring down an angry populace, and bosses in Beijing who want her to push through unpopular measures seen to be eroding the liberties that China promised to protect for at least 50 years after it regained sovereignty over the territory from Britain in 1997.
Who is Carrie Lam?
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VIDEO 0:50
Ms Lam, who has worked in Hong Kong politics since the 1980s, says she would never "sell out" the city.
ABC NEWS
Carrie Lam, 62, is Hong Kong's first female leader and its fourth leader since Britain ended its colonial rule in 1997.
She was not directly elected by the territory's people, but rather ushered into office in 2017 by the vote of a 1,194-member committee dominated by pro-Beijing elites, despite being far less popular than her main rival.
'Everyone is feeling more despair'
A look back at Hong Kong's handover to China 21 years later.
She has a reputation as an efficient and pragmatic administrator.
But she was unpopular with Hongkongers even before she took office because she was seen as a proxy for Beijing who was out of touch with ordinary people.
Unlike many in the top ranks of Hong Kong's leadership, Ms Lam comes from a humble background.
She grew up in the downtown Wanchai district, the fourth of five children.
She attended a Catholic girls school, the University of Hong Kong and later Cambridge University.
She is married to a mathematician and has two sons. They are British citizens, but Ms Lam is not.
'She needed a dinghy and she deployed the Titanic'
PHOTO Despite being under Beijing's rule, many Hongkongers enjoy liberties unknown to their mainland peers.
ABC NEWS: KATHRYN DISS
Critics of her extradition plan highlighted the opaque nature of China's justice system — one which is widely criticised for forced confessions, arbitrary detentions and one-sided trials — which stands in stark contrast to the British-derived system of common law that Hong Kong currently enjoys.
A timeline of key events
When Britain handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997, remaining citizens were promised British capitalism and laws. In the intervening years, some argue that Beijing has squandered its promises.
Worries over the bill's impact on Hong Kong's international standing as a financial hub with a respected legal system were building in Washington, London and other European capitals, but Ms Lam stressed the need for the extradition law to help solve the murder of a Hong Kong woman in Taiwan.
"She needed a dinghy and she deployed the Titanic," one diplomat who met Ms Lam this month said, declining to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue.
At a news conference announcing her backdown, she said she felt "deep sorrow and regret that the deficiencies in our work and various other factors have stirred up substantial controversies and disputes in society".Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.
VIDEO 0:33
Protesters say they are fighting for the civil liberties that China was supposed to protect after Hong Kong's British handover.
ABC NEWS
'Xi is not a leader who tolerates failures'
The events of the past week presents Chinese President Xi Jinping with a new crisis — and Hong Kong's biggest since its handover to Beijing.
Beijing's grip over Hong Kong has intensified markedly since Mr Xi took power in 2012, and after the city's protracted 2014 pro-democracy street protests.
Umbrella protests one year on
Pro-democracy protests brought Hong Kong to a standstill for 79 days and China's leadership shows no sign of budging on reform. A look back at why.
He warned in 2017 that any attempts to undermine Chinese sovereignty were a "red line" that Beijing would not allow to be crossed — warnings that reinforced his strongman image among Hongkongers.
A source with ties to China's leadership who meets regularly with senior officials — who declined to be named — said the Hong Kong Government had handled the extradition saga badly.
"The outcome doesn't bear thinking about if this situation wasn't turned around," the source said.
Steve Tsang, a London-based political scientist, said Ms Lam had caused Mr Xi "major embarrassment" at a time that was not helpful for him given trade tensions with Washington, and ahead of a possible meeting with US President Donald Trump at the month's end at the G20 summit in Japan."Xi is not a leader who tolerates failures of officials," Mr Tsang said.
PHOTO Ms Lam was promoted to the top job in 2017.
AP: KIN CHEUNG'The protest was the turning point'
Retired senior Hong Kong government official Joseph Wong said he was shocked by Beijing's U-turn, but the situation had become so untenable that he believed it had led to a change after an alleged meeting with Ms Lam and Chinese Vice-Premier Han Zheng.
"I suspect ... [Han] would have had to consider, are we prepared to continue to fire rubber bullets or even real bullets in order to get this through, and what would be the implications for the central government internationally, vis-a-vis the US?" Mr Wong said.
"So that protest was the turning point."
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.VIDEO 1:22
Actions against protesters turned violent, with tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets being used.
ABC NEWS
Ms Lam has refused calls from the opposition and protesters to step down but her ability to govern has been questioned on numerous fronts, including her failure to gauge the pulse in Hong Kong, the broader US-China relationship, and Taiwan's refusal to accept any extradition bill, undermining her core argument the bill would resolve the Taiwan murder case.
Political scientist Mr Tsang said he did not expect the current chief executive to last much longer as leader.
"I think Carrie Lam's days are numbered ... Beijing cannot afford to sack her right away because that would be an indication of weakness," he said.
China's State Council and the central government's liaison office in Hong Kong did not immediately respond to Reuters's requests for comment.ABC/wires
Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong freed from jail, vows to join mass protests
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong speaks to the media after being released from Lai Chi Kok Correctional Institute in Hong Kong on Jun 17, 2019. (Photo: AFP/Isaac Lawrence)
17 Jun 2019 10:43AM (Updated: 17 Jun 2019 11:47AM)
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HONG KONG: Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong walked free from prison on Monday (Jun 17) after serving nearly five weeks for contempt of court, pledging to join a mass protest movement demanding that the city's Beijing-backed leader, Carrie Lam, to step down.
His release comes a day after organisers of the protest calling for Lam to quit over a controversial extradition Bill said almost 2 million black-clad people joined Sunday's march to government offices.
"I will join to fight against this evil law," said Wong, 22, who was one of the leaders of the 2014 "Umbrella" pro-democracy protests that blocked major roads in the Chinese-ruled city for 79 days.
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"I believe this is the time for her, Carrie Lam the liar, to step down."
READ: Hong Kong leader apologises after 2 million protesters take to streets
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READ: Protesters control key roads after historic Hong Kong rally
Before he was jailed, both Wong and his supporters had called for the Hong Kong government to scrap the extradition proposal.
Wong was just 17 when he stood at the forefront of the broad civil disobedience movement that presented China's Communist Party rulers in Beijing with one of their biggest political challenges in decades.
The protests against the extradition Bill have become the most significant challenge to China's relationship with the territory since it was handed back by Britain 22 years ago.
READ: Leaderless and livid: The youngsters on Hong Kong front lines
While Lam delayed the Bill at the weekend, it has yet to be completely shelved, despite widespread concern that the status of Hong Kong as a financial hub could be eroded by changes to the rule of law.
Source: Reuters/cy
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...der-joshua-wong-released-from-prison-11633296
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong speaks to the media after being released from Lai Chi Kok Correctional Institute in Hong Kong on Jun 17, 2019. (Photo: AFP/Isaac Lawrence)
17 Jun 2019 10:43AM (Updated: 17 Jun 2019 11:47AM)
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HONG KONG: Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong walked free from prison on Monday (Jun 17) after serving nearly five weeks for contempt of court, pledging to join a mass protest movement demanding that the city's Beijing-backed leader, Carrie Lam, to step down.
His release comes a day after organisers of the protest calling for Lam to quit over a controversial extradition Bill said almost 2 million black-clad people joined Sunday's march to government offices.
"I will join to fight against this evil law," said Wong, 22, who was one of the leaders of the 2014 "Umbrella" pro-democracy protests that blocked major roads in the Chinese-ruled city for 79 days.
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"I believe this is the time for her, Carrie Lam the liar, to step down."
READ: Hong Kong leader apologises after 2 million protesters take to streets
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READ: Protesters control key roads after historic Hong Kong rally
Before he was jailed, both Wong and his supporters had called for the Hong Kong government to scrap the extradition proposal.
Wong was just 17 when he stood at the forefront of the broad civil disobedience movement that presented China's Communist Party rulers in Beijing with one of their biggest political challenges in decades.
The protests against the extradition Bill have become the most significant challenge to China's relationship with the territory since it was handed back by Britain 22 years ago.
READ: Leaderless and livid: The youngsters on Hong Kong front lines
While Lam delayed the Bill at the weekend, it has yet to be completely shelved, despite widespread concern that the status of Hong Kong as a financial hub could be eroded by changes to the rule of law.
Source: Reuters/cy
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...der-joshua-wong-released-from-prison-11633296
Protesters end highway occupation outside Hong Kong's parliament
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
Protesters who camped out overnight take a rest along a main road near the Legislative Council building in Hong Kong on Jun 17, 2019. (Photo: AP/Vincent Yu)
17 Jun 2019 10:22AM (Updated: 17 Jun 2019 11:18AM)
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HONG KONG: Anti-government protesters in Hong Kong ended their occupation of a major highway outside parliament on Monday morning (Jun 17), allowing traffic to flow again, an AFP reporter at the scene said.
Police had spent the morning pleading with a few hundred holdouts to clear the usually busy road and the group eventually relented without any confrontation. Most of the remaining demonstrators moved to a nearby park.
On Sunday, organisers said 2 million people flooded the streets in a historic rebuke of the city's pro-Beijing leader.
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Vast crowds marched for hours in tropical heat calling for the resignation of Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who has been forced to suspend a widely loathed Bill that would have allowed extraditions to the Chinese mainland.
READ: Hong Kong leader apologises after 2 million protesters take to streets
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READ: China state media criticise foreign 'hypocrisy' over Hong Kong after climbdown
Critics fear the Beijing-backed law will entangle people in China's notoriously opaque and politicised courts and damage the city's reputation as a safe business hub.
Throngs of largely black-clad protesters snaked their way for miles through the streets to the city's parliament - with the organisers' estimate for the crowd size doubling an already record-breaking demonstration the previous Sunday in the city of 7.3 million.
image: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/ima...68ec/NB/hong-kong-protests-jun-17--2019-2.jpg
Protesters holding a banner march toward the Legislative Council as they continue to protest against the extradition Bill in Hong Kong on Jun 17, 2019. (Photo: AP/Vincent Yu)
The estimate has not been independently verified but if confirmed it would be the largest demonstration in Hong Kong's history.
Police, who historically give far lower estimates for political protests, said 338,000 people turned out at the demonstration's "peak" on Sunday.
By Monday morning the crowds had dramatically dropped to just a few hundred, largely young protesters occupying a major highway outside the city's parliament and some nearby streets.
image: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/ima...cd5409b7/Sb/hong-kong-protests-jun-17--1-.jpg
Police arrive to negotiate with protesters to clear a road in Hong Kong early on Jun 17, 2019. (Photo: AFP/Isaac Lawrence)
READ: Defiance and hope in Hong Kong as police leave streets
PUBLIC RAGE
Opposition to the extradition Bill has united an unusually wide cross-section of Hong Kong in recent weeks, from influential legal and business bodies to religious leaders.
And while the spark for the last week of protests has been the extradition Bill, the movement has since morphed into the latest expression of public rage against both the city's leaders and Beijing.
Many Hong Kongers believe China's leaders are stamping down on the financial hub's unique freedoms and culture.
They point to the huge 2014 pro-democracy "Umbrella Movement" that failed to win any concessions, the imprisonment of protest leaders, the disqualification of popular lawmakers and the disappearance of Beijing-critical booksellers, as recent examples.
READ: Hong Kong protest leader Joshua Wong released from prison
In recent years, the city's pro-Beijing leaders have successfully resisted bowing to pressure from large street protests led by the city's pro-democracy activists.
But the sheer size of the last week's crowds, and unprecedented violent clashes on Wednesday, has forced Lam into a major climbdown.
On Saturday she indefinitely suspended the unpopular extradition Bill and apologised a day later for the attempt causing "conflict and disputes".
But the U-turn has done little to mollify protesters.
The Civil Human Rights Front, which is organising the rallies, has called on Lam to resign, shelve the Bill permanently and apologise for police using tear gas and rubber bullets on Wednesday. They have also demanded all charges be dropped against anyone arrested.
image: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/ima...a35a72cf7841/AO/hong-kong-protests-jun-17.jpg
Protesters hand out umbrellas to protect against pepper spray while police negotiate to clear roads in Hong Kong early on Jun 17, 2019. (Photo: AFP/Isaac Lawrence)
The violent crowd control measures on Wednesday, used by police as protesters tried to storm the city's parliament to stop the Bill being debated, have proved enormously costly for Lam's government.
Political allies - and even Beijing - distanced themselves from her as public anger mounted.
"I think she has lost any remaining credibility or legitimacy to rule in Hong Kong because of her own mishandling of this whole affair," Charles Mok, a lawmaker, told RTHK Radio.
JOSHUA WONG WALKS FREE
The massive rallies - which come 30 years after the Tiananmen crackdown - also create a huge headache for president Xi Jinping, the most authoritarian Chinese leader since Mao Zedong.
Under the 1997 handover deal signed with Britain, China agreed to allow Hong Kong to keep unique liberties such as freedom of speech and its hugely successful independent common law courts for 50 years.
But the huge crowds this week illustrate how many Hong Kong's 7.3 million inhabitants believe China is already reneging on that deal and fear further sliding freedoms as the city hurtles towards that 2047 deadline.
READ: Leaderless and livid: The youngsters on Hong Kong front lines
Protest leaders have called for a strike on Monday and renewed demonstrations.
One of the city's most prominent protest leaders was released from prison on Monday morning.
Wong, 22, was jailed in May for two months on a contempt charge after pleading guilty to obstructing the clearance of a major protest camp back in 2014.
It was not clear whether his early release was a gesture from the authorities or procedure.
Wong's release on Monday means he served exactly half his sentence, a common policy in Hong Kong for prisoners who exhibit good behaviour.
Source: AFP/cy
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...oads-blocked-after-rally-extradition-11633016
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
Protesters who camped out overnight take a rest along a main road near the Legislative Council building in Hong Kong on Jun 17, 2019. (Photo: AP/Vincent Yu)
17 Jun 2019 10:22AM (Updated: 17 Jun 2019 11:18AM)
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HONG KONG: Anti-government protesters in Hong Kong ended their occupation of a major highway outside parliament on Monday morning (Jun 17), allowing traffic to flow again, an AFP reporter at the scene said.
Police had spent the morning pleading with a few hundred holdouts to clear the usually busy road and the group eventually relented without any confrontation. Most of the remaining demonstrators moved to a nearby park.
On Sunday, organisers said 2 million people flooded the streets in a historic rebuke of the city's pro-Beijing leader.
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Vast crowds marched for hours in tropical heat calling for the resignation of Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who has been forced to suspend a widely loathed Bill that would have allowed extraditions to the Chinese mainland.
READ: Hong Kong leader apologises after 2 million protesters take to streets
Advertisement
READ: China state media criticise foreign 'hypocrisy' over Hong Kong after climbdown
Critics fear the Beijing-backed law will entangle people in China's notoriously opaque and politicised courts and damage the city's reputation as a safe business hub.
Throngs of largely black-clad protesters snaked their way for miles through the streets to the city's parliament - with the organisers' estimate for the crowd size doubling an already record-breaking demonstration the previous Sunday in the city of 7.3 million.
image: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/ima...68ec/NB/hong-kong-protests-jun-17--2019-2.jpg
The estimate has not been independently verified but if confirmed it would be the largest demonstration in Hong Kong's history.
Police, who historically give far lower estimates for political protests, said 338,000 people turned out at the demonstration's "peak" on Sunday.
By Monday morning the crowds had dramatically dropped to just a few hundred, largely young protesters occupying a major highway outside the city's parliament and some nearby streets.
image: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/ima...cd5409b7/Sb/hong-kong-protests-jun-17--1-.jpg
READ: Defiance and hope in Hong Kong as police leave streets
PUBLIC RAGE
Opposition to the extradition Bill has united an unusually wide cross-section of Hong Kong in recent weeks, from influential legal and business bodies to religious leaders.
And while the spark for the last week of protests has been the extradition Bill, the movement has since morphed into the latest expression of public rage against both the city's leaders and Beijing.
Many Hong Kongers believe China's leaders are stamping down on the financial hub's unique freedoms and culture.
They point to the huge 2014 pro-democracy "Umbrella Movement" that failed to win any concessions, the imprisonment of protest leaders, the disqualification of popular lawmakers and the disappearance of Beijing-critical booksellers, as recent examples.
READ: Hong Kong protest leader Joshua Wong released from prison
In recent years, the city's pro-Beijing leaders have successfully resisted bowing to pressure from large street protests led by the city's pro-democracy activists.
But the sheer size of the last week's crowds, and unprecedented violent clashes on Wednesday, has forced Lam into a major climbdown.
On Saturday she indefinitely suspended the unpopular extradition Bill and apologised a day later for the attempt causing "conflict and disputes".
But the U-turn has done little to mollify protesters.
The Civil Human Rights Front, which is organising the rallies, has called on Lam to resign, shelve the Bill permanently and apologise for police using tear gas and rubber bullets on Wednesday. They have also demanded all charges be dropped against anyone arrested.
image: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/ima...a35a72cf7841/AO/hong-kong-protests-jun-17.jpg
The violent crowd control measures on Wednesday, used by police as protesters tried to storm the city's parliament to stop the Bill being debated, have proved enormously costly for Lam's government.
Political allies - and even Beijing - distanced themselves from her as public anger mounted.
"I think she has lost any remaining credibility or legitimacy to rule in Hong Kong because of her own mishandling of this whole affair," Charles Mok, a lawmaker, told RTHK Radio.
JOSHUA WONG WALKS FREE
The massive rallies - which come 30 years after the Tiananmen crackdown - also create a huge headache for president Xi Jinping, the most authoritarian Chinese leader since Mao Zedong.
Under the 1997 handover deal signed with Britain, China agreed to allow Hong Kong to keep unique liberties such as freedom of speech and its hugely successful independent common law courts for 50 years.
But the huge crowds this week illustrate how many Hong Kong's 7.3 million inhabitants believe China is already reneging on that deal and fear further sliding freedoms as the city hurtles towards that 2047 deadline.
READ: Leaderless and livid: The youngsters on Hong Kong front lines
Protest leaders have called for a strike on Monday and renewed demonstrations.
One of the city's most prominent protest leaders was released from prison on Monday morning.
Wong, 22, was jailed in May for two months on a contempt charge after pleading guilty to obstructing the clearance of a major protest camp back in 2014.
It was not clear whether his early release was a gesture from the authorities or procedure.
Wong's release on Monday means he served exactly half his sentence, a common policy in Hong Kong for prisoners who exhibit good behaviour.
Source: AFP/cy
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...oads-blocked-after-rally-extradition-11633016
Hong Kong stocks rally after extradition law U-turn as Asian markets bounce
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
Pedestrians walk past a stocks display board on Nov 2, 2018. (File photo: AFP/Anthony Wallace)
17 Jun 2019 11:38AM (Updated: 17 Jun 2019 11:40AM)
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HONG KONG: Hong Kong stocks rallied on Monday (Jun 17), leading most Asian markets higher after last week's losses, with investors cheering a decision by the city to suspend plans to push through a controversial extradition law.
Investors are also moving cautiously ahead of two huge market-moving events: the Federal Reserve policy meeting this week with its plans for interest rates in focus, and the G20 summit next week where Donald Trump and China's Xi Jinping are due to hold trade talks.
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Investors returned to buying in Hong Kong after three days of losses that saw the Hang Seng drop more than 2 per cent after protests against the law - which would have allowed extradition to China - turned violent Wednesday.
Another, peaceful, demonstration Sunday saw around 2 million people take to the streets, according to organisers.
The plan had also spooked business leaders who feared it would damage the city's reputation as an international business hub.
Traders "will breathe a loud sigh of relief today, as on Wednesday when tear gas and rubber bullets were filling the air, the markets were getting extremely jittery that this ticking time bomb was about to explode", said Stephen Innes, managing partner at Vanguard Markets.
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"Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed."
In morning trade the Hang Seng was up 1 per cent, while Shanghai gained 0.2 per cent and Singapore put on 0.1 per cent. Tokyo went into the break 0.1 per cent higher.
Seoul, Taipei and Jakarta also rose though Sydney, Wellington and Manila were in the red.
Traders are now awaiting the conclusion of the Fed's policy meeting on Wednesday, with hopes it will provide some forward guidance on rates, even if it is not expected to announce a cut just yet.
Most observers are tipping a reduction next month as the US economy shows signs of stuttering.
FED, G20 IN FOCUS
"A lot is riding on this week's (meeting) as the anticipation of Fed easing has single-handedly buttressed global equity markets even as trade war escalation looms ominously," Innes added.
But there was a warning that investors could sell up if the central bank comes up short in its post-meeting statement.
"A less than full dovish undertone from the Fed could stop a rally in equities and reverse some gains as there is heavy anticipation of a rate cut sooner rather than later," said OANDA senior market analyst Alfonso Esparza.
Once that is out of the way, attention turns to next week's flagged meeting between Trump and Xi on the sidelines of the G20 in Osaka, where they will discuss their long-running trade war.
Dealers are hoping for some movement in Japan after Trump shocked markets last month by ramping up tariffs on Chinese imports despite the two sides appearing to be closing in on a deal.
However, optimism is at a premium after US officials played down the chances of an agreement between the two leaders.
Oil prices climbed on geopolitical tensions sparked by last week's tanker attacks in the Gulf of Oman but gains were tempered by ample supplies and weak demand.
Washington has blamed Iran for the attacks but Tehran has called the US charges "baseless" and said they were made without "a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence".
"The US affirms that Iran is behind the attacks which is raising anxiety about armed conflict as Saudi Arabia has reached the same conclusion," Esparza said.
"Tensions remains high and crude prices keep rising as a large percentage of crude oil needs to be transported in the region," he added.
Source: AFP/cy
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...-extradition-law-u-turn-asia-markets-11633456
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
Pedestrians walk past a stocks display board on Nov 2, 2018. (File photo: AFP/Anthony Wallace)
17 Jun 2019 11:38AM (Updated: 17 Jun 2019 11:40AM)
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HONG KONG: Hong Kong stocks rallied on Monday (Jun 17), leading most Asian markets higher after last week's losses, with investors cheering a decision by the city to suspend plans to push through a controversial extradition law.
Investors are also moving cautiously ahead of two huge market-moving events: the Federal Reserve policy meeting this week with its plans for interest rates in focus, and the G20 summit next week where Donald Trump and China's Xi Jinping are due to hold trade talks.
Advertisement
Investors returned to buying in Hong Kong after three days of losses that saw the Hang Seng drop more than 2 per cent after protests against the law - which would have allowed extradition to China - turned violent Wednesday.
Another, peaceful, demonstration Sunday saw around 2 million people take to the streets, according to organisers.
The plan had also spooked business leaders who feared it would damage the city's reputation as an international business hub.
Traders "will breathe a loud sigh of relief today, as on Wednesday when tear gas and rubber bullets were filling the air, the markets were getting extremely jittery that this ticking time bomb was about to explode", said Stephen Innes, managing partner at Vanguard Markets.
Advertisement
"Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed."
In morning trade the Hang Seng was up 1 per cent, while Shanghai gained 0.2 per cent and Singapore put on 0.1 per cent. Tokyo went into the break 0.1 per cent higher.
Seoul, Taipei and Jakarta also rose though Sydney, Wellington and Manila were in the red.
Traders are now awaiting the conclusion of the Fed's policy meeting on Wednesday, with hopes it will provide some forward guidance on rates, even if it is not expected to announce a cut just yet.
Most observers are tipping a reduction next month as the US economy shows signs of stuttering.
FED, G20 IN FOCUS
"A lot is riding on this week's (meeting) as the anticipation of Fed easing has single-handedly buttressed global equity markets even as trade war escalation looms ominously," Innes added.
But there was a warning that investors could sell up if the central bank comes up short in its post-meeting statement.
"A less than full dovish undertone from the Fed could stop a rally in equities and reverse some gains as there is heavy anticipation of a rate cut sooner rather than later," said OANDA senior market analyst Alfonso Esparza.
Once that is out of the way, attention turns to next week's flagged meeting between Trump and Xi on the sidelines of the G20 in Osaka, where they will discuss their long-running trade war.
Dealers are hoping for some movement in Japan after Trump shocked markets last month by ramping up tariffs on Chinese imports despite the two sides appearing to be closing in on a deal.
However, optimism is at a premium after US officials played down the chances of an agreement between the two leaders.
Oil prices climbed on geopolitical tensions sparked by last week's tanker attacks in the Gulf of Oman but gains were tempered by ample supplies and weak demand.
Washington has blamed Iran for the attacks but Tehran has called the US charges "baseless" and said they were made without "a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence".
"The US affirms that Iran is behind the attacks which is raising anxiety about armed conflict as Saudi Arabia has reached the same conclusion," Esparza said.
"Tensions remains high and crude prices keep rising as a large percentage of crude oil needs to be transported in the region," he added.
Source: AFP/cy
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...-extradition-law-u-turn-asia-markets-11633456
China state media criticise foreign 'hypocrisy' over Hong Kong after climbdown
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
Many protesters are calling for Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam to step down AFP/HECTOR RETAMAL
17 Jun 2019 08:59AM (Updated: 17 Jun 2019 09:00AM)
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SHANGHAI: Foreign "meddling" in the affairs of Hong Kong is hypocritical and "ill-intentioned", and Beijing will continue to back embattled Chief Executive Carrie Lam despite calls for her to resign, the official China Daily said on Monday (Jun 17).
On Saturday, Lam said a controversial Bill amending Hong Kong's extradition law would be postponed indefinitely after a week of sometimes violent protests, and activists have called for her to step down immediately.
But China's support for Lam will "not waver, not in the face of street violence nor the ill-intentioned interventions of foreign governments", the paper said in an editorial.
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READ: Hong Kong leader apologises after 2 million protesters take to streets
A US consulate spokesman in Hong Kong welcomed Lam's decision and urged that the views of the domestic and international community be taken into account should her government pursue changes to extradition laws, particularly regarding mainland China.
Hong Kong's "fugitive rendition arrangements are purely an internal affair", the China Daily said, however, adding that countries such as the United States or Britain should have no say in the matter.
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"Indeed, their sanctimonious posturing is hypocritical, given their bluster is maliciously intended and fans anti-government sentiment in Hong Kong and incites lawlessness," it said.
READ: Defiance and hope in Hong Kong as police leave streets
In another editorial, the state-owned Global Times tabloid warned the United States against using Hong Kong as a "bargaining chip" to force compromises in trade talks.
"The riots in Hong Kong will only consolidate Beijing's tough stance against Washington," it said.
Since last year, the United States and China have been embroiled in trade tension marked by tit-for-tat tariffs as Washington seeks changes to Beijing's business policies.
Source: Reuters/cy
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...ticise-foreign-hypocrisy-extradition-11632898
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
Many protesters are calling for Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam to step down AFP/HECTOR RETAMAL
17 Jun 2019 08:59AM (Updated: 17 Jun 2019 09:00AM)
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SHANGHAI: Foreign "meddling" in the affairs of Hong Kong is hypocritical and "ill-intentioned", and Beijing will continue to back embattled Chief Executive Carrie Lam despite calls for her to resign, the official China Daily said on Monday (Jun 17).
On Saturday, Lam said a controversial Bill amending Hong Kong's extradition law would be postponed indefinitely after a week of sometimes violent protests, and activists have called for her to step down immediately.
But China's support for Lam will "not waver, not in the face of street violence nor the ill-intentioned interventions of foreign governments", the paper said in an editorial.
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READ: Hong Kong leader apologises after 2 million protesters take to streets
A US consulate spokesman in Hong Kong welcomed Lam's decision and urged that the views of the domestic and international community be taken into account should her government pursue changes to extradition laws, particularly regarding mainland China.
Hong Kong's "fugitive rendition arrangements are purely an internal affair", the China Daily said, however, adding that countries such as the United States or Britain should have no say in the matter.
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"Indeed, their sanctimonious posturing is hypocritical, given their bluster is maliciously intended and fans anti-government sentiment in Hong Kong and incites lawlessness," it said.
READ: Defiance and hope in Hong Kong as police leave streets
In another editorial, the state-owned Global Times tabloid warned the United States against using Hong Kong as a "bargaining chip" to force compromises in trade talks.
"The riots in Hong Kong will only consolidate Beijing's tough stance against Washington," it said.
Since last year, the United States and China have been embroiled in trade tension marked by tit-for-tat tariffs as Washington seeks changes to Beijing's business policies.
Source: Reuters/cy
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...ticise-foreign-hypocrisy-extradition-11632898
Hong Kong leader apologises after 2 million protesters take to streets
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
Crowds of protesters were still camped out in parts of Hong Kong as night fell. (AFP/HECTOR RETAMAL)
17 Jun 2019 03:06AM (Updated: 17 Jun 2019 09:30AM)
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HONG KONG: About 2 million protesters choked Hong Kong's streets in a powerful rebuke of a reviled extradition law, organisers said on Sunday (Jun 16), piling pressure on the city's embattled pro-Beijing leader who apologised for causing "conflict" but refused to step down.
The show of force saw vast crowds marching for hours in tropical heat, calling for the resignation of Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who was forced to suspend the Bill as public anger mounted.
Throngs of largely black-clad protesters snaked their way for miles through the streets to the city's parliament - with the organisers' estimate for the crowd size doubling an already record-breaking demonstration the previous Sunday in the city of 7.3 million.
image: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/ima...ed/WX/hong-kong-protests-1560709978444-10.jpg
Graphic on a week of mass protests in Hong Kong against the extradition bill. (AFP)
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The estimate has not been independently verified but if confirmed it would be the largest demonstration in Hong Kong's history.
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
The last marchers to leave the rally's starting point at a public park left about six hours after it started. (AFP/Anthony WALLACE)
Hong Kong's biggest protest to date was a massive rally in support of Tiananmen protesters in May 1989, before Beijing's deadly crackdown, which sources at the time put at roughly 1.5 million strong.
Police, who historically give far lower estimates for political protests, said 338,000 people turned out at the demonstration's "peak" on Sunday.
READ: Defiance and hope in Hong Kong as police leave streets
Thousands were camping out overnight to continue the protest, including outside the legislature, with the police seemingly ceding the streets to the jubilant masses.
Critics fear the Beijing-backed law will entangle people in China's notoriously opaque and politicised courts and damage the city's reputation as a safe business hub.
Lam's office put out a statement late on Sunday admitting that shortcomings in how her administration handled the law had "led to a lot of conflict and disputes" and "disappointed and distressed many citizens".
It came a day after she announced she would postpone the law indefinitely.
READ: In full: Carrie Lam's speech as Hong Kong's controversial extradition Bill is suspended
But it fell well short of protester demands that she resign, shelve the Bill permanently and apologise for police using tear gas and rubber bullets earlier in the week.
The Civil Human Rights Front, which is organising the rallies, said Hong Kongers would protest and strike on Monday "until their voices are heard".
ANGER AT POLICE
The international finance hub was rocked on Wednesday by the worst political violence in decades as protesters were dispersed by baton-wielding riot police.
Many accused the police of using excessive force, and anger was further fanned by authorities calling the largely young protesters "rioters".
Nearly 80 people were injured in the unrest - including 22 police officers - with both sides showing a willingness to escalate action and reaction to levels unseen in the usually stable business hub.
Police said they had no choice but to use force to meet violent protesters who besieged their lines outside the city's parliament.
But critics - including legal and rights groups - say officers used the violent actions of a tiny group of protesters as an excuse to unleash a sweeping crackdown on the predominantly young, peaceful crowd.
One man died on Saturday when he fell from a building where he had been holding an hours-long anti-extradition protest.
He had unfurled a banner on scaffolding attached to an upscale mall, but fell when rescuers tried to haul him in. Police said they suspected the 35-year-old was suicidal.
Throughout the day, demonstrators queued for hours to leave flowers and tributes where he fell.
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
Demonstrators queued to leave flowers and tributes at the site where a protester died after falling from a building where he had been holding anti-extradition protest. (AFP/DALE DE LA REY)
READ: Flowers pile up for dead Hong Kong protester
BATTLING FOR THE CITY'S SOUL
The extradition furore is just the latest chapter in what many see as a battle for the soul of Hong Kong.
For the last decade the city has been convulsed by political turbulence between pro-Beijing authorities and opponents who fear an increasingly assertive China is stamping on the city's unique freedoms and culture enjoyed since the handover from Britain in 1997.
Opposition to the extradition Bill has united an unusually wide cross-section of Hong Kong, from influential legal and business bodies to religious leaders.
Lam's decision to ignore those warnings and press ahead with the Bill even after last weekend's massive rally placed her administration under pressure from both opponents and allies.
image: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/ima...8f66cfada88131c6902/fe/carrie-lam-graphic.jpg
Graphic on how Carrie Lam became Hong Kong's leader with 777 votes from its carefully constructed Election Committee. (AFP/Laurence CHU)
Advisers and pro-establishment lawmakers urged her to delay the Bill after Wednesday's violence, while Beijing began to distance itself from her administration.
Her climbdown is a rare example of the city's unelected leaders caving-in to demonstrations - something more recent administrations have been increasingly unwilling to do.
READ: Leaderless and livid: The youngsters on Hong Kong front lines
Two months of protests in 2014 calling for the right to directly elect Hong Kong's leader won no concessions from Beijing, and key figures from that movement are now in jail.
One of that movement's most prominent leaders, 22-year-old activist Joshua Wong, is due to be released from prison on Monday morning, his party said late Sunday.
It was not clear whether his early release was a gesture from the authorities or merely typical procedure under provisions for good behaviour.
'SHE HAS LOST THE PUBLIC'
"Her response is purely a PR strategy," 20-year-old protester Vivian Liu told AFP after Lam's statement. "And to define our protests as a riot is totally inappropriate."
"Personally I think she can no longer govern Hong Kong, she has lost the public," added Dave Wong, a 38-year-old protester who works in finance.
In mainland China, the Internet was scrubbed clean of references to the massive rally, with entries for Hong Kong on search engines and social media platforms showing no sign of the demonstration.
The latest protest did not, however, go unnoticed in Washington, where Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said President Donald Trump would discuss the events with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the G20 summit later this month.
"We are watching the people of Hong Kong speak about the things they value," Pompeo said.
Source: AFP/de
Tagged Topics
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...lam-apologises-2-million-extradition-11632594
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
Crowds of protesters were still camped out in parts of Hong Kong as night fell. (AFP/HECTOR RETAMAL)
17 Jun 2019 03:06AM (Updated: 17 Jun 2019 09:30AM)
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HONG KONG: About 2 million protesters choked Hong Kong's streets in a powerful rebuke of a reviled extradition law, organisers said on Sunday (Jun 16), piling pressure on the city's embattled pro-Beijing leader who apologised for causing "conflict" but refused to step down.
The show of force saw vast crowds marching for hours in tropical heat, calling for the resignation of Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who was forced to suspend the Bill as public anger mounted.
Throngs of largely black-clad protesters snaked their way for miles through the streets to the city's parliament - with the organisers' estimate for the crowd size doubling an already record-breaking demonstration the previous Sunday in the city of 7.3 million.
image: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/ima...ed/WX/hong-kong-protests-1560709978444-10.jpg
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The estimate has not been independently verified but if confirmed it would be the largest demonstration in Hong Kong's history.
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
The last marchers to leave the rally's starting point at a public park left about six hours after it started. (AFP/Anthony WALLACE)
Hong Kong's biggest protest to date was a massive rally in support of Tiananmen protesters in May 1989, before Beijing's deadly crackdown, which sources at the time put at roughly 1.5 million strong.
Police, who historically give far lower estimates for political protests, said 338,000 people turned out at the demonstration's "peak" on Sunday.
READ: Defiance and hope in Hong Kong as police leave streets
Thousands were camping out overnight to continue the protest, including outside the legislature, with the police seemingly ceding the streets to the jubilant masses.
Critics fear the Beijing-backed law will entangle people in China's notoriously opaque and politicised courts and damage the city's reputation as a safe business hub.
Lam's office put out a statement late on Sunday admitting that shortcomings in how her administration handled the law had "led to a lot of conflict and disputes" and "disappointed and distressed many citizens".
It came a day after she announced she would postpone the law indefinitely.
READ: In full: Carrie Lam's speech as Hong Kong's controversial extradition Bill is suspended
But it fell well short of protester demands that she resign, shelve the Bill permanently and apologise for police using tear gas and rubber bullets earlier in the week.
The Civil Human Rights Front, which is organising the rallies, said Hong Kongers would protest and strike on Monday "until their voices are heard".
ANGER AT POLICE
The international finance hub was rocked on Wednesday by the worst political violence in decades as protesters were dispersed by baton-wielding riot police.
Many accused the police of using excessive force, and anger was further fanned by authorities calling the largely young protesters "rioters".
Nearly 80 people were injured in the unrest - including 22 police officers - with both sides showing a willingness to escalate action and reaction to levels unseen in the usually stable business hub.
Police said they had no choice but to use force to meet violent protesters who besieged their lines outside the city's parliament.
But critics - including legal and rights groups - say officers used the violent actions of a tiny group of protesters as an excuse to unleash a sweeping crackdown on the predominantly young, peaceful crowd.
One man died on Saturday when he fell from a building where he had been holding an hours-long anti-extradition protest.
He had unfurled a banner on scaffolding attached to an upscale mall, but fell when rescuers tried to haul him in. Police said they suspected the 35-year-old was suicidal.
Throughout the day, demonstrators queued for hours to leave flowers and tributes where he fell.
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
Demonstrators queued to leave flowers and tributes at the site where a protester died after falling from a building where he had been holding anti-extradition protest. (AFP/DALE DE LA REY)
READ: Flowers pile up for dead Hong Kong protester
BATTLING FOR THE CITY'S SOUL
The extradition furore is just the latest chapter in what many see as a battle for the soul of Hong Kong.
For the last decade the city has been convulsed by political turbulence between pro-Beijing authorities and opponents who fear an increasingly assertive China is stamping on the city's unique freedoms and culture enjoyed since the handover from Britain in 1997.
Opposition to the extradition Bill has united an unusually wide cross-section of Hong Kong, from influential legal and business bodies to religious leaders.
Lam's decision to ignore those warnings and press ahead with the Bill even after last weekend's massive rally placed her administration under pressure from both opponents and allies.
image: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/ima...8f66cfada88131c6902/fe/carrie-lam-graphic.jpg
Advisers and pro-establishment lawmakers urged her to delay the Bill after Wednesday's violence, while Beijing began to distance itself from her administration.
Her climbdown is a rare example of the city's unelected leaders caving-in to demonstrations - something more recent administrations have been increasingly unwilling to do.
READ: Leaderless and livid: The youngsters on Hong Kong front lines
Two months of protests in 2014 calling for the right to directly elect Hong Kong's leader won no concessions from Beijing, and key figures from that movement are now in jail.
One of that movement's most prominent leaders, 22-year-old activist Joshua Wong, is due to be released from prison on Monday morning, his party said late Sunday.
It was not clear whether his early release was a gesture from the authorities or merely typical procedure under provisions for good behaviour.
'SHE HAS LOST THE PUBLIC'
"Her response is purely a PR strategy," 20-year-old protester Vivian Liu told AFP after Lam's statement. "And to define our protests as a riot is totally inappropriate."
"Personally I think she can no longer govern Hong Kong, she has lost the public," added Dave Wong, a 38-year-old protester who works in finance.
In mainland China, the Internet was scrubbed clean of references to the massive rally, with entries for Hong Kong on search engines and social media platforms showing no sign of the demonstration.
The latest protest did not, however, go unnoticed in Washington, where Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said President Donald Trump would discuss the events with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the G20 summit later this month.
"We are watching the people of Hong Kong speak about the things they value," Pompeo said.
Source: AFP/de
Tagged Topics
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...lam-apologises-2-million-extradition-11632594
Defiance and hope in Hong Kong as police leave streets
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
A mourner burns offerings for a protester (R) who fell to his death the night before. (AFP/Anthony WALLACE)
17 Jun 2019 01:49AM (Updated: 17 Jun 2019 08:59AM)
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HONG KONG: In the thoroughfare where days ago protesters were fighting running battles, the police are nowhere to be seen, while black-clad protesters mill about on the neon-lit shoreline, enjoying the evening breeze after hours of marching through tropical heat to protest a reviled extradition law.
"Maybe they've gone home," one onlooker said, looking down from a walkway onto a sea of protesters still keeping vigil against a Beijing-backed law they fear will entangle people in China's notoriously opaque and politicised courts and damage Hong Kong's reputation as a safe business hub.
About two million marched in the finance hub on Sunday (Jun 16), organisers said, piling pressure on the city's embattled pro-Beijing leader who apologised for causing "conflict" but refused to step down.
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READ: Hong Kong leader apologises after 2 million protesters take to streets
Squeezed in between the skyscrapers but unopposed and unharried, the crowd sang songs, chanted, and played back footage from the day's march on their phones.
The sea parted sporadically to allow ambulances and buses to pass, accompanied by thunderous applause.
Advertisement
Towards the seafront, four young protesters sat on the tarmac of a main thoroughfare, blaring an anthem from the musical "Les Miserables" that has long been a rallying cry for the city's democracy movement.
The extradition furore is just the latest chapter in what many see as a battle for the soul of Hong Kong.
For the last decade the city has been convulsed by political turbulence between pro-Beijing authorities and opponents who fear an increasingly assertive China is stamping on the city's unique freedoms and culture enjoyed since the handover in 1997.
READ: Leaderless and livid: The youngsters on Hong Kong front lines
Many of those who marched said they had been spurred on after a man died late Saturday when he fell from a building where he had been holding an hours-long anti-extradition protest.
FLOWERS, INCENSE AND CIGARETTES
He had unfurled a banner on scaffolding attached to an upscale mall, but fell when rescuers tried to haul him in. Police said they suspected the 35-year-old man was suicidal.
Thousands paid their respects on Sunday, waiting under the sun for hours to offer flowers, incense and cigarettes at a makeshift shrine before joining the demonstration that paralysed the city centre.
As evening fell, similar wreaths of white flowers dotted the government lawn as streams of people began heading for home.
Hundreds of mostly young protesters sat out listening to speeches and watching films, in scenes more reminiscent of campus life at the leafy universities that have produced many of those coordinating the protests.
READ: China state media criticise foreign 'hypocrisy' over Hong Kong after climbdown
A mosaic of A4 sheets bearing handwritten messages of hope, defiance and solidarity in Chinese and English covered the paving stones outside the legislature building. A young man with a megaphone called on those returning home to contribute, while others handed out paper and pens and taped the offerings to the ground.
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
Messages left by protesters are posted on what they call "the Lennon Wall". (AFP/Anthony WALLACE)
One man who gave his name as Yankee laid down a simple design of a heart shape alongside the letters "HK".
"I'm not usually the person to stand up and speak but today I had to come out," he said. "And now, what I'm feeling comes from in here," he said, pointing to his chest.
"Of course I am proud of this city."
Source: AFP/de
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...in-hong-kong-as-police-leave-streets-11632520
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
A mourner burns offerings for a protester (R) who fell to his death the night before. (AFP/Anthony WALLACE)
17 Jun 2019 01:49AM (Updated: 17 Jun 2019 08:59AM)
Share this content
HONG KONG: In the thoroughfare where days ago protesters were fighting running battles, the police are nowhere to be seen, while black-clad protesters mill about on the neon-lit shoreline, enjoying the evening breeze after hours of marching through tropical heat to protest a reviled extradition law.
"Maybe they've gone home," one onlooker said, looking down from a walkway onto a sea of protesters still keeping vigil against a Beijing-backed law they fear will entangle people in China's notoriously opaque and politicised courts and damage Hong Kong's reputation as a safe business hub.
About two million marched in the finance hub on Sunday (Jun 16), organisers said, piling pressure on the city's embattled pro-Beijing leader who apologised for causing "conflict" but refused to step down.
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READ: Hong Kong leader apologises after 2 million protesters take to streets
Squeezed in between the skyscrapers but unopposed and unharried, the crowd sang songs, chanted, and played back footage from the day's march on their phones.
The sea parted sporadically to allow ambulances and buses to pass, accompanied by thunderous applause.
Advertisement
Towards the seafront, four young protesters sat on the tarmac of a main thoroughfare, blaring an anthem from the musical "Les Miserables" that has long been a rallying cry for the city's democracy movement.
The extradition furore is just the latest chapter in what many see as a battle for the soul of Hong Kong.
For the last decade the city has been convulsed by political turbulence between pro-Beijing authorities and opponents who fear an increasingly assertive China is stamping on the city's unique freedoms and culture enjoyed since the handover in 1997.
READ: Leaderless and livid: The youngsters on Hong Kong front lines
Many of those who marched said they had been spurred on after a man died late Saturday when he fell from a building where he had been holding an hours-long anti-extradition protest.
FLOWERS, INCENSE AND CIGARETTES
He had unfurled a banner on scaffolding attached to an upscale mall, but fell when rescuers tried to haul him in. Police said they suspected the 35-year-old man was suicidal.
Thousands paid their respects on Sunday, waiting under the sun for hours to offer flowers, incense and cigarettes at a makeshift shrine before joining the demonstration that paralysed the city centre.
As evening fell, similar wreaths of white flowers dotted the government lawn as streams of people began heading for home.
Hundreds of mostly young protesters sat out listening to speeches and watching films, in scenes more reminiscent of campus life at the leafy universities that have produced many of those coordinating the protests.
READ: China state media criticise foreign 'hypocrisy' over Hong Kong after climbdown
A mosaic of A4 sheets bearing handwritten messages of hope, defiance and solidarity in Chinese and English covered the paving stones outside the legislature building. A young man with a megaphone called on those returning home to contribute, while others handed out paper and pens and taped the offerings to the ground.
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
Messages left by protesters are posted on what they call "the Lennon Wall". (AFP/Anthony WALLACE)
One man who gave his name as Yankee laid down a simple design of a heart shape alongside the letters "HK".
"I'm not usually the person to stand up and speak but today I had to come out," he said. "And now, what I'm feeling comes from in here," he said, pointing to his chest.
"Of course I am proud of this city."
Source: AFP/de
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...in-hong-kong-as-police-leave-streets-11632520
Can Roy Ngeng bring about this kind of revolution in sinkieland? Maybe he will Attack 377A first which is closer to his heart
Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong released from prison after millions turn out for protests against extradition bill
Updated about an hour ago
PHOTO: Joshua Wong was let out of jail after serving nearly five weeks of a two-month sentence. (Reuters: Tyrone Siu)
RELATED STORY: 'We fight for their future': Hong Kong's latest protest a family affair
RELATED STORY: Hong Kong protesters take to streets to demand leader steps down
RELATED STORY: 'She needed a dinghy but deployed the Titanic': Hong Kong's Carrie Lam fights for her political life
A leading figure in Hong Kong's 2014 Umbrella Movement demonstrations has been released from prison, as uncertainty grows over the fate of government leader Carrie Lam and the extradition bill she postponed at the weekend.
Key points:
Joshua Wong's release from the Lai Chi Kok Correctional Facility came as student demonstrators and police continued to face off in downtown Hong Kong following a massive protest on Sunday.
Organisers said almost 2 million people turned out to demand that Ms Lam step down, in what is becoming the most significant challenge to China's relationship with the territory since it was handed back by Britain 22 years ago.
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.
VIDEO: The massive protests in Hong Kong on Sunday were praised for being peaceful and orderly, with crowds parting to allow an ambulance through. (ABC News)
Mr Wong, 22, served nearly five weeks of a two-month sentence for contempt related to his involvement in the 2014 protests, which advocated for more democratic elections.
His sentence was reduced from three months because he was only a teenager when he was arrested in 2014.
It is unclear why he was released early.
PHOTO: Hong Kong police announced that they wanted to clear the streets of protesters on Monday morning. (AP: Vincent Yu)
In February, the young activist won an appeal against a separate conviction and six-month sentence for unlawful assembly and was released after spending more than two months in prison in that case, before being sent back to prison in May.
He vowed to join the latest round of protests, calling the extradition law "evil".
"I believe this is the time for her, Carrie Lam the liar, to step down," he told waiting journalists.
Mr Wong said he needed a bit of time but that "no matter what happens, I will join the protest soon".
Joshua Wong 黃之鋒
✔@joshuawongcf
https://twitter.com/joshuawongcf/status/1140462787379859456
Hello world and hello freedom. I have just been released from prison. GO HONG KONG!! Withdraw the extradition bill. Carrie Lam step down. Drop all political prosecutions!
8,311
11:34 AM - Jun 17, 2019
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3,786 people are talking about this
The mostly young demonstrators still gathered near the city's government headquarters began moving off the streets on Monday morning after hours of haggling with police.
They were streaming into an outdoor space near the city's legislative chamber that had been closed earlier in the day, allowing police to reopen roads that had been blocked since Sunday's protest.
The latest protests were set off by an extradition bill that would have allowed criminal suspects to be sent to mainland China for trials.
Ms Lam has suspended that legislation, but activists who saw it as undermining legal rights and judicial independence want it scrapped altogether.
PHOTO: Protesters who camped out overnight take a rest along a main road. (AP: Vincent Yu)
She apologised on Sunday over her plans to push through the extradition bill, but Hong Kong opposition politicians continued to call for Ms Lam's resignation.
"Her government cannot be an effective government, and will have much, much, much difficulties to carry on," veteran Democratic Party legislator James To told government-funded broadcaster RTHK.
"I believe the Central People's Government will accept her resignation."
However, the official state newspaper China Daily said Beijing's leaders would continue to back Ms Lam, lashing out at foreign "meddling" in the crisis.
China's support for Ms Lam will "not waver, not in the face of street violence nor the ill-intentioned interventions of foreign governments," the newspaper said in an editorial.
PHOTO: Policemen stand guard on a road as protesters march toward the Legislative Council. (AP: Vincent Yu)
ABC/wires
Updated about an hour ago
PHOTO: Joshua Wong was let out of jail after serving nearly five weeks of a two-month sentence. (Reuters: Tyrone Siu)RELATED STORY: 'We fight for their future': Hong Kong's latest protest a family affair
RELATED STORY: Hong Kong protesters take to streets to demand leader steps down
RELATED STORY: 'She needed a dinghy but deployed the Titanic': Hong Kong's Carrie Lam fights for her political life
A leading figure in Hong Kong's 2014 Umbrella Movement demonstrations has been released from prison, as uncertainty grows over the fate of government leader Carrie Lam and the extradition bill she postponed at the weekend.
Key points:
- Joshua Wong was jailed over his involvement in 2014 pro-democracy protests
- The former student leader has vowed to join the latest round of demonstrations
- The protesters who remained in the streets today have moved on after talks with police
Joshua Wong's release from the Lai Chi Kok Correctional Facility came as student demonstrators and police continued to face off in downtown Hong Kong following a massive protest on Sunday.
Organisers said almost 2 million people turned out to demand that Ms Lam step down, in what is becoming the most significant challenge to China's relationship with the territory since it was handed back by Britain 22 years ago.
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.
VIDEO: The massive protests in Hong Kong on Sunday were praised for being peaceful and orderly, with crowds parting to allow an ambulance through. (ABC News)
Mr Wong, 22, served nearly five weeks of a two-month sentence for contempt related to his involvement in the 2014 protests, which advocated for more democratic elections.
His sentence was reduced from three months because he was only a teenager when he was arrested in 2014.
It is unclear why he was released early.
PHOTO: Hong Kong police announced that they wanted to clear the streets of protesters on Monday morning. (AP: Vincent Yu)In February, the young activist won an appeal against a separate conviction and six-month sentence for unlawful assembly and was released after spending more than two months in prison in that case, before being sent back to prison in May.
He vowed to join the latest round of protests, calling the extradition law "evil".
"I believe this is the time for her, Carrie Lam the liar, to step down," he told waiting journalists.
Mr Wong said he needed a bit of time but that "no matter what happens, I will join the protest soon".
Joshua Wong 黃之鋒
✔@joshuawongcf
https://twitter.com/joshuawongcf/status/1140462787379859456
Hello world and hello freedom. I have just been released from prison. GO HONG KONG!! Withdraw the extradition bill. Carrie Lam step down. Drop all political prosecutions!
8,311
11:34 AM - Jun 17, 2019
Twitter Ads info and privacy
3,786 people are talking about this
The mostly young demonstrators still gathered near the city's government headquarters began moving off the streets on Monday morning after hours of haggling with police.
They were streaming into an outdoor space near the city's legislative chamber that had been closed earlier in the day, allowing police to reopen roads that had been blocked since Sunday's protest.
The latest protests were set off by an extradition bill that would have allowed criminal suspects to be sent to mainland China for trials.
Ms Lam has suspended that legislation, but activists who saw it as undermining legal rights and judicial independence want it scrapped altogether.
PHOTO: Protesters who camped out overnight take a rest along a main road. (AP: Vincent Yu)She apologised on Sunday over her plans to push through the extradition bill, but Hong Kong opposition politicians continued to call for Ms Lam's resignation.
"Her government cannot be an effective government, and will have much, much, much difficulties to carry on," veteran Democratic Party legislator James To told government-funded broadcaster RTHK.
"I believe the Central People's Government will accept her resignation."
However, the official state newspaper China Daily said Beijing's leaders would continue to back Ms Lam, lashing out at foreign "meddling" in the crisis.
China's support for Ms Lam will "not waver, not in the face of street violence nor the ill-intentioned interventions of foreign governments," the newspaper said in an editorial.
PHOTO: Policemen stand guard on a road as protesters march toward the Legislative Council. (AP: Vincent Yu)ABC/wires
Troublemaker released. Good luck Hongkanese! LolHong Kong activist Joshua Wong released from prison after millions turn out for protests against extradition bill
Updated about an hour ago
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A leading figure in Hong Kong's 2014 Umbrella Movement demonstrations has been released from prison, as uncertainty grows over the fate of government leader Carrie Lam and the extradition bill she postponed at the weekend.
Key points:
- Joshua Wong was jailed over his involvement in 2014 pro-democracy protests
- The former student leader has vowed to join the latest round of demonstrations
- The protesters who remained in the streets today have moved on after talks with police
Joshua Wong's release from the Lai Chi Kok Correctional Facility came as student demonstrators and police continued to face off in downtown Hong Kong following a massive protest on Sunday.
Organisers said almost 2 million people turned out to demand that Ms Lam step down, in what is becoming the most significant challenge to China's relationship with the territory since it was handed back by Britain 22 years ago.
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VIDEO: The massive protests in Hong Kong on Sunday were praised for being peaceful and orderly, with crowds parting to allow an ambulance through. (ABC News)
Mr Wong, 22, served nearly five weeks of a two-month sentence for contempt related to his involvement in the 2014 protests, which advocated for more democratic elections.
His sentence was reduced from three months because he was only a teenager when he was arrested in 2014.
It is unclear why he was released early.
In February, the young activist won an appeal against a separate conviction and six-month sentence for unlawful assembly and was released after spending more than two months in prison in that case, before being sent back to prison in May.
He vowed to join the latest round of protests, calling the extradition law "evil".
"I believe this is the time for her, Carrie Lam the liar, to step down," he told waiting journalists.
Mr Wong said he needed a bit of time but that "no matter what happens, I will join the protest soon".
Hello world and hello freedom. I have just been released from prison. GO HONG KONG!! Withdraw the extradition bill. Carrie Lam step down. Drop all political prosecutions!3,786 people are talking about this
The mostly young demonstrators still gathered near the city's government headquarters began moving off the streets on Monday morning after hours of haggling with police.
They were streaming into an outdoor space near the city's legislative chamber that had been closed earlier in the day, allowing police to reopen roads that had been blocked since Sunday's protest.
The latest protests were set off by an extradition bill that would have allowed criminal suspects to be sent to mainland China for trials.
Ms Lam has suspended that legislation, but activists who saw it as undermining legal rights and judicial independence want it scrapped altogether.
She apologised on Sunday over her plans to push through the extradition bill, but Hong Kong opposition politicians continued to call for Ms Lam's resignation.
"Her government cannot be an effective government, and will have much, much, much difficulties to carry on," veteran Democratic Party legislator James To told government-funded broadcaster RTHK.
"I believe the Central People's Government will accept her resignation."
However, the official state newspaper China Daily said Beijing's leaders would continue to back Ms Lam, lashing out at foreign "meddling" in the crisis.
China's support for Ms Lam will "not waver, not in the face of street violence nor the ill-intentioned interventions of foreign governments," the newspaper said in an editorial.
ABC/wires
actually, I would contend that fuckien is more different from mandarin than cuntonese.
Sinkies are basically castrated,,,,and hence this is the only thing they have passion for,,compare the attendance for the 6.9 million rally, CPF rally, Ah bock rally,,,and u can see the priorities of singkies
Pink Dot celebrates 10th edition
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
Pink Dot 2018's light-up formation this year says "We Are Ready". (Photo: Fann Sim)
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
By Fann Sim @FannCNA
21 Jul 2018 10:57PM (Updated: 21 Jul 2018 11:19PM)
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SINGAPORE: Hong Lim Park was covered in large swathes of pink on Saturday (Jul 21) as supporters turned up for the 10th edition of the annual lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) rally Pink Dot.
While mostly attended by young Singaporeans, older folks like 70-year-old Frankie Kwok and his family were seen among the sea of pink attendees.
"I am a pioneer so I am supporting a lot of my young friends for equal rights ... It's only good that everybody can live in harmony regardless of whatever gender they are or whatever they choose to be," said Mr Kwok, who has attended every Pink Dot event since 2009.
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"It's a free world now. No more of traditional or conservative kind of world where I lived in. That's the direction the future should go," he added.
Another senior Sally Lim, 63, said she has attended at least five Pink Dot events with her husband and children.
"I'm not too sure whether the acceptance of LGBT in Singapore has grown because I hardly talk about it with strangers but in my family, we fully support the LGBT community," said Mdm Lim.
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The message for this year's light up was We Are Ready.
Aside from the concert, which featured local comic Hirzi and Singapore Idol alumnus Tabitha Nauser and Sezairi, former Pink Dot ambassadors pledged their support in making 10 declarations towards equality.
They include declarations such as being ready to stand by LGBTQ friends and family members to having schools, healthcare services, and businesses that are LGBTQ-friendly.
This year's Pink Dot saw 113 local sponsors through the Red Dot for Pink Dot initiative after foreigner-majority sponsors were barred from supporting the event in 2016.
Particular attention was paid to active community participation this year, with the first ever Pink Fest that spanned two weekends in the run-up to Pink Dot. The festival is made up of 20 community events ranging from film screenings to walking tours organised by businesses, groups and individuals.
“We mark our 10th edition with hope and optimism for the future, but are also mindful that plenty more still remains to be done for Singapore to fully embrace the tenets of inclusion, diversity and equality,” said Mr Paerin Choa, a Pink Dot spokesperson.
“As we celebrate this milestone, witnessing Speaker’s Corner awash in pink, let us remember that, just as we’ve been forced to erect barriers that separate us from friends and family members here, the LGBTQ community are likewise still restricted by discriminating laws and social prejudice.
While only Singaporeans and permanent residents are allowed into the Speakers' Corner after showing their identity documents, groups of foreigners were seen at the park outside the barricades with picnic mats.
Source: CNA/fs(aj)
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/pink-dot-celebrates-10th-edition-10551414
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