Hong Kong official’s review committee promise met with criticism

A senior government official yesterday promised Hong Kong a “fresh start” for 2020 with the establishment of a review committee to investigate the causes of the city’s current upheaval. In what he called a “letter to Hong Kong,” the city’s chief secretary of administration, Matthew Cheung Kinchung, said the government would establish an “independent review committee” comprising experts and community leaders to find the root cause of the problems. Hong Kong has been swept by massive protests since June that began in response to an unpopular extradition bill, which critics feared was a sign of increasing control being exerted on Hong Kong from Beijing. But the unrest has since evolved into calls for greater democratic reforms and an independent investigation into police violence. Man-kei Tam, the director of Amnesty International Hong Kong, slammed the government’s efforts to placate protesters, repeating demonstrators’ calls for the establishment of an independent inquiry. “The protesters’ anger is rooted in lack of accountability for how events have unfolded, which can be solved by an adequate full independent inquiry,” he told DPA yesterday. “There is no point to delay an inquiry into use disproportionate use of force,” he added. Tam added that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam had lessons to learn if she wanted to re-establish the public’s trust towards the government and police, and de-escalate the current antigovernment movement.