Hong Kong leader says escalation of violence is becoming more serious

FAN Editor
Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam holds a news conference in Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam speaks during a news conference in Hong Kong, China, August 20, 2019. REUTERS/Ann Wang

August 27, 2019

HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday the escalation of violence in anti-government protests that have rocked the Asian financial center for three months is becoming more serious.

Lam was speaking in public for the first time since anti-government demonstrations escalated on Sunday, when police fired water cannon and volleys of tear gas in running battles with protesters who threw bricks and petrol bombs.

The Chinese-ruled city is grappling with its biggest political crisis since its handover to Beijing in 1997 and Communist Party authorities have sent a clear warning that forceful intervention is possible to quell the violence.

Hong Kong’s Beijing-backed leader said she was confident the city’s government could handle the unrest by itself and she would not give up on building a platform for dialogue.

But she said the time was not right to set up an independent inquiry into the crisis, one of the cornerstone demands of protesters.

The government said on Monday illegal violence was pushing

Hong Kong to the brink of great danger after weekend clashes that included the first gun-shot and the arrest of 86 people, the youngest just 12.

The protests escalated in mid-June over a now-suspended extradition bill that would have allowed Hong Kong people to be sent to mainland China for trial in courts controlled by the Communist Party.

But the demonstrations have evolved over 12 straight weeks into a broad demand for greater democracy under the “one country, two systems” formula following the handover to China by

colonial ruler Britain in 1997. Many Hong Kong residents believe Beijing is eroding the city’s autonomy and their rights.

(Reporting By Clare Jim, Donny Kwok, Farah Master, Writing by Anne Marie Roantree; Editing by Michael Perry)

Free America Network Articles

Leave a Reply

Next Post

Japan automakers need not worry about U.S. trade talks outcome: Motegi

FILE PHOTO – Japan’s Minister of Economic Revitalization Toshimitsu Motegi speaks during the signing agreement ceremony for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, in Santiago, Chile March 8, 2018. REUTERS/Rodrigo Garrido August 27, 2019 TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Economy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Tuesday he did not think U.S.-Japan […]