Hong Kong leader halts extradition bill but opponents vow fresh rally

HONG KONG- Agence France-Presse

Hong Kong’s embattled leader on June 15 suspended a hugely divisive bill that would allow extraditions to China, in a major climbdown following unprecedented unrest, but protesters vowed to press ahead with a mass June 16 rally.

The concession from chief executive Carrie Lam was swiftly rejected by protest leaders, who called on her to resign, permanently shelve the bill and apologise for police tactics.

The international finance hub was rocked by the worst political violence since its 1997 handover to China on Wednesday as tens of thousands of protesters were dispersed by riot police firing tear gas and rubber bullets.

Those clashes came three days after Lam refused to be budged by a record-breaking rally in which organisers said more than a million people marched through the streets calling for the Beijing-backed bill to be scrapped.

Critics fear the law will tangle people up in China’s notoriously opaque and politicised courts as well as hammer the city’s reputation as a safe business hub.

After days of mounting pressure- including from her own allies- Lam relented on June 15, announcing that work on the bill would be halted.

She set no deadline for its reintroduction but stopped short of saying it was permanently scrapped.

Lam’s about turn was a rare concession from the city’s pro-Beijing leaders who have successfully faced down demands from pro-democracy demonstrators in recent years.

But anger over how police and city leaders treated predominantly young demonstrators is still simmering and opponents hope another huge turnout will pile pressure on Lam.

The chief executive -- who is appointed by a committee stacked with Beijing loyalists -- said she had no plans to resign. She defended the need to overhaul the city’s extradition laws and said she retained the support of China’s central government.

But she admitted her team had misjudged the public mood.

"I feel deep sorrow and regret that the deficiencies in our work and various other factors have stirred up substantial controversies and disputes in society following the relatively calm periods of the past two years," she said.

The unprecedented chaos in Hong Kong comes at a sensitive time for China, already on edge over the 30th anniversary of the deadly Tiananmen Square crackdown.

"We support, respect and understand this decision," foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said in a statement.