Hong Kong protesters plan human chain to spoil Lam’s big debut
Hong Kong’s embattled leader Carrie Lam will attempt to hold her first public dialogue event Thursday, the latest step in an effort to assuage pro-democracy protesters ahead of expected large-scale demonstrations on the Oct. 1 anniversary of Communist rule in China.
But it’s unclear whether invited officials and members of the public will even be able to get in: Protesters have
called for the formation of a human chain near the venue at 4:30 p.m. Lam this week urged demonstrators not to disrupt the town-hall style session, saying roughly 20,000 people had registered for an event that will have about 150 participants, drawn at random.
Participants are expected to “behave in an orderly manner” and are prohibited from bringing items that could “disrupt the event or cause nuisance, inconvenience or danger to other parties,” according to a venue charter linked on the registration page, citing items such as loud hailers, umbrellas, mask respirators, helmets, flags and banners.
Lam has seemed prepared for the public anger that will likely be directed at her during the forum, telling reporters Tuesday that many of the closed-door meetings she’s had recently with smaller groups started with them expressing their frustrations.
“No doubt, I will receive some harsh criticism. But I also hope to receive constructive suggestions to help this government meet the public’s expectations for a more inclusive and fairer Hong Kong,” Lam wrote in an opinion piece titled “Yes, Hong Kong Does Have a Future” in the New York Times Wednesday.
Lam will be accompanied by four influential ministers for the 7 p.m. town hall, including Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Patrick Nip, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau, Secretary for Home Affairs Lau Kong-wah and Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan, the government said in a statement.
Members of the public attending the two-hour session at Queen Elizabeth Stadium in the central Wan Chai district will be chosen to speak by a random lottery, with each question limited to three minutes, according to the statement. Lam and her team wouldn’t respond after every question or comment from audience, but rather give “integrated” remarks after every few queries.
The two-hour event will be moderated by Kenneth Ng, a political assistant to Nip and former news anchor for local station TVB, according to a report by local news site HK01, which a spokeswoman for Hong Kong’s Policy Innovation and Coordination Office confirmed. Those who cannot attend in-person can tune in to the live broadcast of the event on the government news department’s Facebook page, Lam said in a post on the social media website Thursday noon.
Hong Kong’s unrest began in June over legislation that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, and has since widened into a broader movement against Beijing’s increasing influence over the Asian financial hub. Lam’s Sept. 4 withdrawal of the bill – her biggest concession to protesters yet – did little to calm often-violent rallies.
Protesters’ demands have grown to include an independent inquiry into aggressive police tactics and calls for free elections for the chief executive and in the legislature. They have rejected her attempts at dialogue, due to her ruling out the possibility of meeting their other requests.
The town hall dialogue comes days ahead of the Oct. 1 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. On the mainland, celebrations will include fireworks, a military parade and a speech from President Xi Jinping.
But Hong Kong’s protesters plan to use it to demonstrate against his grip over their city, with key organizer the Civil Human Rights Front applying for permits to march on both Oct. 1 and Sept. 28, the fifth anniversary of 2014’s Occupy movement.
“I very much hope the first dialogue with community on Thursday could be made in a peaceful, rational and calm environment,” Lam told reporters Tuesday before a meeting of her Executive Council. “And my colleagues and I will listen to citizens’ opinions in a sincere, humble manner.”