Hong Kong leader says she has Xi’s backing to tackle unrest
HONG KONG — Embattled Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said Tuesday that she has received the backing of Chinese President Xi Jinping in her handling of five months of antigovernment protests in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory, as hundreds of masked demonstrators took to the streets again.
Xi and Lam unexpectedly held talks Monday night on the sidelines of a trade event in Shanghai amid signals from China’s central government that it may tighten its grip on Hong Kong to quell the unrest that has at times challenged Chinese rule.
Lam told a news conference in Shanghai that Xi expressed “care and concern” during their brief meeting, along with support for measures taken by her government to end the crisis. She vowed that the government will strive to stamp out violence with strict law enforcement.
Lam said she was disturbed by mounting injuries during the protests, including an incident early Monday that left a 22-year-old university student sprawled in a pool of blood at a carpark building after police fired tear gas. Hospital officials said the victim was in critical condition.
Lam said investigations would be carried out to determine exactly what happened, and that the case drove home the government’s message that violence must cease.
Television footage showed riot police firing tear gas at the building after objects were hurled down at them when they chased off a mob. Minutes later, medical workers found the unconscious student on the second floor of the building.
Senior police official
Suzette Foo said late Tuesday that the young man had reportedly fallen from an upper floor, but that it wasn’t captured by security surveillance cameras. She didn’t rule out the possibility that he was fleeing from tear gas but noted that police fired from a far distance. She also rebutted online claims that police pushed the victim down.
“It is an upsetting incident. We will certainly investigate this case fully and do all we can to find out the truth,” Foo said.
Hundreds of black-clad demonstrators wearing Guy Fawkes masks — which are protest symbols worldwide — rallied Tuesday night in Hong Kong’s busy Tsim Sha Tsui district to mark the one-month anniversary of a government ban on facial coverings at rallies. Some protesters vandalized shops and set up road barriers as they marched along streets.