HK legislature formally withdraws extradition bill
China plans to replace leader Carrie Lam: FT
HONG KONG
(Reuters) —
Hong Kong’s legislature on Wednesday formally withdrew planned legislation that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, but the move was unlikely to end months of unrest as it met just one of five demands of pro-democracy protesters.
The rallying cry of the protesters, who have trashed public buildings in the Chinese-ruled city, set street fires and thrown petrol bombs at police, has been “five demands, not one less”, meaning the withdrawal of the bill make no difference.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam had said many times the bill was as good as dead and said that other demands, including universal suffrage and an amnesty for all those charged with rioting, were beyond her control.
Protesters are also calling for her to stand down and for an independent inquiry into perceived police brutality during a long hot summer of running battles on the streets.
“There aren’t any big differences between suspension and withdrawal (of the extradition bill)… It’s too little, too late,” said 27-year-old protester Connie, hours before the bill was withdrawn. “There are still other demands the government needs to meet, especially the problem of police brutality.”
China, which has many times expressed confidence in Lam and her government to end the unrest, was drawing up a plan to replace her with an “interim” chief executive, the Financial Times reported, citing people briefed on the deliberations.
Lam has become a lightning rod for protests and another of the protesters’ demands has been for her to stand down.
The leading candidates to succeed Lam include Norman Chan, the 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, the report said.
A spokesman said Tang did not comment on speculation and that he supported Lam as chief executive.
A senior official in Beijing said the FT story was wrong and none of the suggested candidates listed in the story could possibly take over from Lam based on the Basic Law, Hong Kong’s mini-constitution which came into force in 1997.
But Beijing had prepared all kinds of contingency plans for different scenarios in Hong Kong, including Lam’s administration losing total control of the situation, the official said.
China’s foreign ministry said the FT report was political rumor with ulterior motives.
HK frees murder suspect whose case inspired protests
HONG KONG (Reuters) — A murder suspect whose case was used by the Hong Kong government to push for a controversial extradition bill walked free from jail on Wednesday as the city’s authorities squabbled with Taiwan over how to handle a promised voluntary surrender.
Chan Tong-kai, a Hong Kong citizen, was accused of murdering his girlfriend in Taiwan last year before fleeing back to the Chinese-ruled financial hub.
Chan, wearing a navy blue shirt and red backpack, bowed and apologized to the family of his ex-girlfriend and the public as he left the prison in Hong Kong’s rural Sai Kung district after serving 29 months for money laundering.
He said he had made an “unforgivable mistake” and was willing to plead guilty and turn himself in to Taiwan for trial.
The Hong Kong government seized on the case to justify pushing through a now-withdrawn extradition bill, leading to five months of sometimes violent protests that have now evolved into broader calls for democracy.