Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam has said a controversial extradition bill was “dead” but held back from completely withdrawing the proposed law that has caused weeks of political crisis in the Chinese territory.
“There is no such plan. The bill is dead,” the chief executive said at a press conference on Tuesday. Lam said she felt “heartbroken” over the conflict caused by the proposed law, which she described as a “total failure”.
Lam’s speech comes after weeks of protests, the city’s sharpest challenge to Beijing’s rule in decades, as millions of residents took to the streets to demonstrate against a proposed law that would allow the extradition of individuals to mainland China.
Lam’s remarks were her strongest yet since the government suspended progress on the bill after it prompted mass demonstrations last month. She stopped short of meeting protestors’ demands to withdraw the bill. Lam instead used a Cantonese phrase to describe the proposal as “reaching the end of its life”.
“‘Officially dead’ is not a legal or political term. So it’s still unclear whether it is withdrawn, and we can only assume it is not since she still has not said those words,” said Lokman Tsui, who teaches journalism at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
“If it’s dead for all purposes, then why not just say the words and officially withdraw it? Carrie is just playing a PR game at this point,” Tsui posted on Twitter.
Others said she had only repeated the government’s previous position, that the bill has been suspended.
Lam said: “What I said today is not very different from before, but maybe people want to hear a very firm response … the bill has actually died. So people won’t need to worry that there will be renewed discussions on the bill in the current legislature.”
“We suspended it and we have no time table, we reiterate that when the current legislature ends, i.e. July next year, it will be automatically expired,” she added.
Trust between Lam, the focus of many of the protests, and the public is at a new low. Online reactions to Lam’s speech on Tuesday remained critical.
On Facebook, one user posted under a live-stream of her remarks: “So stubborn... she said nothing! Just suspended!!” Another said: “We need withdrawal!” Another user wrote: “So they can revive in August next year.”
Lam said that she would not step down from office, another demand of protesters who see her as a lackey for the Beijing government. She also said there was no need for an independent investigation into police wrongdoings. Protestors and residents have accused the police of using excessive force on demonstrators.
Still, Lam appeared to meet one concession of demonstrators, public discussions with student protesters. Previously Lam had only agreed to closed-door talks.
Hundreds of protesters clashed with police at the weekend, as they blocked streets in the commercial district of Kowloon, following a march earlier in the day. Police arrested six people at the demonstration, while activists accused authorities of using excessive force on demonstrators and journalists.
Many see the proposed law as an encroachment of the territory’s autonomy, promised under the “one country, two systems” established when the former British colony was returned to China in 1997. Critics worry Beijing will use the law to extradite activists and political enemies to China.
The crisis in Hong Kong has affected spread beyond the territory. China has criticised the UK for “interfering” in the situation in the former British colony. Last week, outgoing US consul general Kurt Tong was barred by the state department from giving a critical speech on government actions in Hong Kong, for fears it would derail a temporary trade truce between the US and China, according to the Financial Times.
According to the report, citing people familiar with the matter, Tong had planned a “kick-ass” speech to be delivered on 2 July at the Asia Society in Hong Kong, describing Beijing’s growing influence over the territory. Instead, the speech was watered down and made off the record at the last minute.
On Monday, Hong Kong activist and pop star Denise Ho was repeatedly interrupted by a Chinese diplomat when she spoke at the United Nations on Monday. “We are all in danger in Hong Kong because we’re on the edge of becoming another [Chinese] city where we would lose our freedom of speech,” she said, calling on the UN to convene an urgent session on the territory.
Within three minutes of remarks, Ho was interrupted twice, with a delegate from the Chinese mission taking issue with her “unfounded allegations” against the one country two systems framework and “abusive” language.
