The Guardian - 30.07.2019

Section:GDN 1N PaGe:19 Edition Date:190730 Edition:01 Zone: Sent at 29/7/2019 18:45 cYanmaGentaYellowb

Tuesday 30 July 2019 The Guardian •

19

Laurel Chor and Lily Kuo

Hong Kong

China has off ered its full support to

Hong Kong’s embattled leader, Car-

rie Lam, and its police force and said

violent protesters must be swiftly pun-

ished, in rare remarks by the offi ce that

oversees policy towards the territory.

The territory has been rocked by

two months of escalating pro-democ-

racy protests that have posed the most

significant challenge to Beijing’s

authority since the former British col-

ony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

At its fi rst press conference since

then, the state council’s Hong Kong

and Macau affairs office said the

protests were “horrendous ”. “No civi-

lised society or rule of law society will

tolerate rampant violence,” said a

spokesman , blaming a “few radicals”.

“In our view, the most dangerous

situation in Hong Kong is that vio-

lent crimes have not been eff ectively

stopped,” he added. “The most impor-

tant task of Hong Kong at present is

to resolutely punish violent crimes

according to law, restore social stabil-

ity as soon as possible and safeguard

Hong Kong’s good legal system.”

The last eight weeks of protests

were sparked by a now delayed bill

that would allow suspects to be extra-

dited to mainland China, but the anger

has pivoted towards the police, who

have been accused of using exces-

sive force.

Protesters have also focused

on what many believe to be

collusion between the authorities and

triads, Hong Kong’s organised crime

groups, after masked and armed thugs

attacked commuters, protesters and

journalists on 21 July.

The People’s Daily, offi cial mouth-

piece of the Chinese Communist party,

called on the Hong Kong government

and police to “punish lawbreakers

regardless of whether they hold up the

banner of ‘freedom and democracy’ ”.

Beijing demands

swift justice

for Hong Kong’s

‘violent radicals’

▲ Riot police fi ring teargas at people

protesting against police brutality

in Hong Kong on Sunday

Burning

brighter?

A census

has found

that India’s

wild tiger

population

has grown by

a third in four

years, raising

hopes for the

survival of the

endangered

species.

The survey

identifi ed

2,967 tigers,

up from 2,

in 2014.

PHOTOGRAPH:

EROMAZE/GETTY

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