Lam: Chinese military could step in if uprising gets bad
HONG KONG (AP/Reuters) — Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam warns the Chinese military could step in if an uprising for democratic reforms in the city gets bad, but she reiterates the government still hopes to resolve the crisis on its own.
Lam urges foreign critics to accept the reality that the four months of protests marked by a sharp escalation in violence was no longer "a peaceful movement for democracy."
After invoking emergency powers to ban people from wearing masks at rallies, Lam wouldn't rule out other measures including calling for Chinese intervention.
Lam said Tuesday: "I still strongly feel that we should find the solutions ourselves...but if the situation becomes so bad, then no options could be ruled out if we want Hong Kong to at least have another chance."
Hong Kong opened for business on Tuesday after a violent long weekend, with its metro rail system only partially functioning and authorities warning residents they may have trouble commuting due to widespread vandalism of infrastructure.
Lam said on Tuesday her administration had no plans to use emergency powers for the introduction of other laws and that the Chinese territory was equipped to handle the current situation on its own as the city braced for further demonstrations through the week.
Lam was speaking at a news conference after a long weekend of violent protests at which thousands of people defied colonial-era emergency powers imposed on Saturday that had banned the wearing of face masks.
Lam on Friday invoked the emergency powers for the first time in more than 50 years in a dramatic move intended to quell escalating violence in the Chinese-ruled city.
The ban on face masks took effect Saturday, Oct. 5, under the emergency laws that allow authorities to “make any regulations whatsoever” in the public interest, Lam said.
Two teenage protesters have been shot, one in the chest and the other in the leg, during skirmishes with police in some of the recent violence.
Hong Kong’s metro, which carries about 5 million passengers a day, said on Tuesday some stations would not open for service because damaged facilities needed to be repaired. Train service would also end at 8 p.m. (1200 GMT), more than four hours earlier than normal.
MTR Corp was forced to shut down in an unprecedented move after arson attacks on Friday night and only partially operated during the weekend, with protesters again setting stations ablaze and destroying ticketing machines. The closures largely paralyzed transportation around much of the Asian financial hub.
The Hong Kong government said in a statement early on Tuesday “a large group of masked rioters repeatedly committed destructive acts extensively”, including “dropping a bicycle from height” that hit and injured a police officer. Roads were also blocked in various districts, it said.