Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam has formally announced she was withdrawing the controversial extradition bill, which has triggered more than two months of increasingly violent protests in the city.
In a pre-recorded television statement, the embattled Lam
said the 13 weeks of violent protest against the Fugitive
Offenders Bill has made Hong Kong “an unfamiliar place” and “have shocked and saddened Hong Kong
people.”
She
rued that citizens, police and reporters had been injured in the violence and
there had been chaotic scenes at the airport, in MTR stations, on blocked roads
and tunnels, causing delay and inconvenience to daily life.
Lam said a small number of people are challenging the “one
country, two systems” principle and national sovereignty, but violence is not
the solution.
Lam raised four actions in her speech:
“First, the Government will formally withdraw the Bill in
order to fully allay public concerns. The Secretary for Security will move a
motion according to the Rules of Procedure when the Legislative Council
resumes.
“Second, we will fully support the work of the IPCC. In
addition to the overseas experts, I have appointed two new members to the IPCC,
namely Mrs Helen Yu Lai Ching-ping and Mr Paul Lam Ting-kwok, SC. I pledge that
the Government will seriously follow up the recommendations made in the IPCC's
report.
“Third, from this month, I and my Principal Officials will
reach out to the community to start a direct dialogue. People from all walks of
life, with different stances and backgrounds are invited to share their views
and air their grievances. We must find ways to address the discontent in
society and to look for solutions.
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“Fourth, I will invite community leaders, professionals and
academics to independently examine and review society's deep-seated problems
and to advise the Government on finding solutions. After more than two months
of social unrest, it is obvious to many that discontentment extends far beyond
the Bill. It covers political, economic and social issues, including the
oft-mentioned problems relating to housing and land supply, income
distribution, social justice and mobility, and opportunities for our young
people, as well as how the public could be fully engaged in the Government's
decision-making. We can discuss all these issues in our new dialogue platform.”
