Have the protestors won? Sure seems that way, but there’s always room for suspicion. This victory was almost too easy!
The Guardian June 15, 2019
Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam, has suspended indefinitely efforts to pass a controversial new extradition law, after a week of mass protests and street violence put heavy pressure on the city’s leaders.
But in a defensive press conference, the chief executive insisted her only errors were of communication, defending the much-criticised bill as vital to Hong Kong’s security and promising to relaunch an improved version after further consultation.
Speaking out after three days of silence, and on the eve of another major protest march called for Sunday, Lam repeatedly described herself as “heartbroken” and admitted that the bill had “caused a lot of division” in Hong Kong.
She denied that the abrupt reversal – reportedly made after meeting one of China’s most powerful leaders on Friday – was aimed at warding off further chaos, after hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to oppose the law.
“The decision I made is not about pacifying people or, as some have said, restoring my damaged reputation,” Lam said, repeatedly brushing off questions about whether she planned to resign.
Hong Kong was plunged into crisis by government attempts to ram the law through the territory’s legislature. Hundreds of thousands of protesters thronged the city’s streets this week to oppose it, with police brutality and government intransigence adding to public outrage.
