The Washington Post - 05.09.2019

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 , 2019. THE WASHINGTON POST EZ RE A

BY SHIBANI MAHTANI

AND TIMOTHY MCLAUGHLIN

hong kong — After months of
clashes and chaos, Hong Kong
leader Carrie Lam announced an
end Wednesday to the extradition
bill that touched off the territory’s
worst political crisis since its hand-
over to China. The reply from pro-
testers and even pro-government
officials was swift and sharp: To o
little, too late.
The dueling messages — an olive
branch from Lam and a rebuff from
opponents — suggest l ittle hope for
a breakthrough to ease the increas-
ingly violent confrontations play-
ing out on Hong Kong’s s treets.
That i s because the protests have
gone far beyond the now-dead bill
to allow extradition to mainland
China. The dissent has grown into
a broad base that includes shop-
keepers, civil servants, students
and others fearing that Hong
Kong’s f reedoms and special status
within China are in jeopardy.
And Lam’s move was widely
seen a s falling short on many fronts
— including failing to address the
deep concerns over the expanding
use of force by riot police.
Meanwhile, representatives
from Lam’s cabinet say their hands
are tied in doing much more. That
will probably extend the tumult
ahead of Oct. 1 events to mark the
70th anniversary of the founding of
the People’s R epublic of China.
Protesters have threatened huge
demonstrations in Hong Kong to
mark the day — which could be a
major embarrassment to China’s
state-run c elebrations.
“We should all think deeply
whether escalating violence and
disturbances is the answer,” Lam
said in her speech Wednesday be-
fore announcing four steps that she
would take to kick-start a dialogue
with the public, notably a full with-
drawal of the extradition bill. That
process will start once the legisla-
ture meets again in October, Lam
added.
But some groups quickly turned
their backs on the offer.
Several protest leaders — in

masks and hard hats — held their

own news conference and called

Lam’s moves insufficient.

Since spring, the demonstra-

tions have grown into a general

revolt against China’s hand in

Hong Kong affairs. Protesters fear

that Beijing plans to further roll

back Hong Kong’s political and so-

cial openness under the “one coun-

try, two systems” accord in which

Britain handed back control in

1997.

But protesters also have set a

specific five-point list that includes

a long-held aspiration to allow

Hong Kong voters a direct say in

electing their leaders. Lam has ad-

dressed just one — and perhaps the

easiest — of the five demands.

As her address played on social

media, a flood of comments com-

ing in said: “Five demands! Not one

less!”

“Hong Kongers will not be satis-

fied by a partial victory, and our

thirst for freedom and justice will

not be quenched,” said one of the

masked protesters at t he news con-

ference. “Five demands, not one

less” is not a slogan, she added, but

a “joint consensus.”

Lam stopped short of announc-

ing a fully independent investiga-

tion into the upheavals, including

the police’s response and use of

force. Police have arrested almost

1,200 people on protest-related

charges.

Protesters also want amnesty f or

those arrested. The Hong Kong po-

lice have been the only authority

tasked with suppressing the pro-

tests and related violence, despite

threats of military intervention

from B eijing.

After meeting with her cabinet,

pro-Beijing lawmakers and others

in the government, Lam said in a

televised address that the clashes

have “shocked and saddened peo-

ple.”

Her other steps included beefing

up Hong Kong’s independent po-

lice watchdog, known as the Inde-

pendent Police Complaints Coun-

cil (IPCC), and ordering it to look

into the force’s h andling of protests

and organized-crime-linked at-

tacks against protesters in July.

Lam said she would also reach

out to the community to start a “di-

rect dialogue” with people and task

experts, including academics, to

independently “examine and re-

view society’s deep-seated prob-

lems and to advise the government

on finding solutions.”

Protesters deeply distrust the

IPCC, which is headed by the for-

mer chairman of the city’s Securi-

ties and Futures Commission, An-

thony Francis Neoh, who was ap-

pointed to the top position by Lam

in 2018.

Protesters believe that the body,

which monitors and reviews com-

plaints against members of the

Hong Kong police, is stacked with

Lam loyalists and cannot be impar-

tial. The body is also unable to

summon witnesses.

It was the possibility of being

extradited to face the justice sys-

tem in mainland China that

sparked the massive demonstra-

tions. Lam had previously an-

nounced that she would suspend

work on the bill and later termed

it “dead,” but protesters wanted it

completely withdrawn, fearing she

could restart it later in her term.

Regina Ip, a member of Hong

Kong’s Executive Council and a

pro-Beijing lawmaker, said she be-

lieves Lam has responded to

a “centerpiece” demand from pro-

testers.

“There are no more concessions

we can make,” s he said in an inter-

view. “I hope people can recognize

that our government is working

hard to meet the aspirations of the

people.”

Michael Tien, a pro-Beijing law-

maker who also serves as a Hong

Kong delegate to the National Peo-

ple’s Congress in China, said resis-

tance to concessions has come in

part from Beijing, which is con-

cerned “it will send a signal to

everybody in Hong Kong that the

baby who cries the most will get the

milk.”

He added that while fully with-

drawing the bill was the “right

thing” to do, it was probably too

late to have an impact.

“The focus since the beginning

of July has completely shifted now

to the confrontation between po-

lice and rioters and how the public

perceives it,” he said. “The public is

totally polarized, but it is no longer

about the extradition bill.”

Tien added that if grievances

between the police and the public

are not addressed, “people are go-

ing to be carrying around this ha-

tred for many years.”

Lam, those familiar with her

thinking say, fears a negative re-

sponse from the police force if she

were to open such an investigation.

Political crises have erupted pe-

riodically in the semiautonomous

territory, however, over fears that

the Chinese government is seeking

to exercise greater control, most

recently in 2014 when Beijing re-

jected full universal suffrage for

Hong Kong.

Protests have taken on an in-

creasingly anti-Chinese flavor —

the national emblem has been de-

faced, the Chinese flag flung into

Victoria Harbor and other symbols

of Beijing’s c ontrol targeted.

On Te legram, the encrypted

messaging app used by protesters

to help organize demonstrations,

Lam’s decision was met with resis-

tance and anger. Some forwarded a

quote from “Winter on Fire,” a

documentary film about Ukraine’s

2014 anti-government protests: “If

we accept the government’s de-

mands, those who have died will

not forgive us.”

Hong Kong stocks surged on the

reports that the bill would be for-

mally withdrawn, closing up nearly

4 percent.

Some fear, however, that the cri-

sis has fundamentally eroded busi-

ness confidence in Hong Kong and

revealed the extent of Beijing’s a bil-

ity to pressure even multinational

corporations in the city.

Jasper Ts ang, a former senior

official in the Hong Kong govern-

ment who continues to be a confi-

dant and adviser t o Lam, said in an

interview Tuesday that conces-

sions aside, the crisis has already

done serious damage to Hong

Kong.

“It is not easy to make a full

assessment yet,” he said. “A nd even

after the violent protest stops, it

will take some time, a lot of pa-

tience, a lot of hard work to pick up

the pieces and put them back to-

gether if we can.”

“Humpty Dumpty has fallen,” h e

added. “We don’t k now whether we

can put the broken pieces back

together.”

[email protected]

Anna Kam contributed to this report.

Hong Kong leader o∞cially withdraws extradition bill

But protesters’ concerns

have moved beyond the

controversial measure

VINCENT YU/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Territorial executive Carrie Lam’s address is shown on televisions Wednesday in Hong Kong. “We

should all think deeply whether escalating violence and disturbances is the answer,” Lam said.

AMR ABDALLAH DALSH/REUTERS

A man shouts during a news conference Wednesday in Hong Kong

at which protest leaders deemed Lam’s olive branch insufficient.

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