HK scraps bill that triggered protests China may replace Carrie Lam: Report
MAJOR CONCESSION But there are no signs the withdrawal of the bill would dampen the movement
HONG KONG: Hong Kong authorities on Wednesday withdrew an unpopular extradition bill that sparked months of chaotic protests that have since morphed into a campaign for greater democratic change.
Secretary for security John Lee told the semi-autonomous Chinese city’s legislature that the government had suspended the bill because it had resulted in “conflicts in society”.
In order to clearly spell out the government’s position, “I formally announce the withdrawal of the bill,” Lee told lawmakers. Pro-democracy lawmakers immediately tried to question him but he refused to respond.
There are no signs that the withdrawal of the bill would dampen the protests, now in their fifth month.
The rallies have snowballed into the city’s biggest political crisis in decades, expanding to demands for universal suffrage and an investigation into allegations of police abuses, most recently including the spraying of a mosque and bystanders with high-pressure blue-dyed water from an urban assault vehicle.
The long-expected scrapping of the bill was overshadowed by the drama surrounding the release from a Hong Kong prison of the murder suspect at the heart of the extradition case controversy.
Chan Tong Kai, who completed a separate sentence for money laundering, said after his release that he wished to turn himself in to authorities in Taiwan, where he’s wanted for killing his pregnant girlfriend, Poon Hiu Wing.
Taiwan announced on Tuesday it was willing to send a delegation to bring Chan back to the self-ruled island for trial, but Hong Kong rejected the offer, saying the suspect should be allowed to fly unaccompanied to turn himself in.
The controversy is rooted in the unwillingness of Hong Kong to recognise the legitimacy of the legal bodies in Taiwan. China has refused contact with the administration of Taiwan’s elected President Tsai Ing Wen over her refusal to endorse Beijing’s stance that the island is Chinese territory awaiting annexation.
BEIJING: Beijing is drawing up a plan to remove Hong Kong’s beleaguered Chief Executive Carrie Lam, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, after nearly five months of pro-democracy unrest.
The pro-beijing leader has faced sustained criticism from protesters in the semi-autonomous city.
So far, the Chinese government has given its support to her and the Hong Kong police, calling the demonstrators “rioters” and condemning the violence.
But according to the FT report, which quoted unnamed figures briefed on the deliberations, Beijing is drawing up a plan to replace her with an interim chief executive.
However, sources told the newspaper that the plan would be dependent on the situation in the city first stabilising so that the central government is not seen as giving in to violence.
Beijing rejected the report as “a political rumour with ulterior motives”.
“The central government firmly supports Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam... to put an end to violence and chaos and restore order as soon as possible,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a press briefing.
Lam’s office said it would not comment on speculation.
Earlier this month, Lam - who has refused to grant any major concessions to protesters - invoked a colonial-era emergency law to ban face masks, setting off a new wave of protests and vandalism that shut down much of the city’s transport network.
Leading candidates being considered to replace her reportedly include Norman Chan, former head of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, and Henry Tang, who has also served as the territory’s financial secretary and chief secretary for administration.