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July 10, 2019

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Lam admits government failure, says bill is 鈥榙ead鈥

Source: Agencies | 00:13 UTC+8 July 10, 2019 | Print Edition

HONG Kong leader Carrie Lam said yesterday the extradition bill is “dead” and that government work on the legislation had been a “total failure.”

“The tension, confrontations and anger of Hong Kong citizens come completely from the government proposing the fugitive bill,” Lam told reporters yesterday.

“And there are still lingering doubts about the government’s sincerity or worries (about) whether the government will restart the process with the Legislative Council. So I reiterate here, there is no such plan. The bill is dead,” Lam said.

The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said yesterday that the central government supports, understands and respects the decision made by the authorities in the HKSAR to suspend the region’s fugitive amendment bill.

The finance hub has been plunged into its worst crisis in recent history following protests and separate violent confrontations with police.

“Saddened and shocked” by recent unrest, Lam vowed to restore citizens’ “fragile” confidence in the government, proposing to establish an open platform where citizens with different views could communicate with the government in a peaceful and orderly manner.

The bill, if passed, would have allowed suspects in Hong Kong to be sent to Chinese mainland to face trial in courts.

In mid-June, Lam suspended the bill, but that did not stop demonstrations that shut government offices and brought parts of the financial center to a standstill.

She also reiterated her willingness to have open dialogues with students in the future.

“I see the discontent among citizens and that reflects a deep problem in our society. The government will not ignore the problem but face it,” Lam said. “We hope to put aside disputes and together find a way out for Hong Kong.”

Lam stressed that the rule of law is the most important value in Hong Kong, which is also the guarantee to implement the principle of “one country, two systems.”

“Any demand that we should run an amnesty at this stage, that we will not follow up on investigations and prosecutions of offenders is not acceptable, because that bluntly goes against the rule of law in Hong Kong.”

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