Hong Kong's leader says extradition bill that sparked violence is 'dead,' but critics unconvinced

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lamsaid on Tuesday the extradition bill that sparked theChinese-ruled city's biggest crisis in decades is dead andgovernment work on the legislation had been a "total failure,"but critics have accused her of playing with words.

The bill, which would allow people in Hong Kong to be sentto mainland China to face trial in courts controlled by theCommunist Party, sparked huge and at times violent streetprotests and plunged the former British colony into turmoil.

In mid-June, Lam responded to protests that drew hundreds ofthousands of people to the streets by suspending the bill,but that did not stop demonstrations that shut governmentoffices and brought parts of the financial centre to a standstill.

Her latest attempt to restore order did not satisfy protesters who stood by demands she withdraw thebill for good.

"There are still lingering doubts about the government'ssincerity or worries whether the government will restart the process in the Legislative Council," Lam told reporters onTuesday.

"SoI reiterate here, there is no such plan, the bill isdead."

The government's work on the bill had been a "totalfailure," she said.

The bill triggered outrage across broad sections of HongKong society amid concerns it would threaten the much-cherishedrule of law that underpins the city's international financialstatus.

Lawyers and rights groups say China's justice system ismarked by torture, forced confessions and arbitrary detention claims denied by Beijing.

'Word games'

In the most recent protest on Sunday, tens of thousands of people,chanting "Free Hong Kong" and some carrying British colonial-era flags, marched toward a high-speed railway station that connects Hong Kong to the mainland. They said they wanted to carry a peaceful protest message to people on the mainland, where state-run media have not covered the protests widely, but have focused instead on clashes with police and property damage.

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Hong Kong has been riven by protests for the past month, sparked by proposed changes to extradition laws that would have allowed suspects to be sent to the mainland to face trial.

Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with the promiseof a high degree of autonomy, including an independent legalsystem and right to protest. But in recent years, there has beengrowing concern about the erosion of those freedoms at the handsof Beijing.

Critics of the extradition bill fear Beijing could use it tocrack down on dissent.

University students who have been out in force during theprotests denounced Lam's comments.

"What we want is to completely withdraw the bill. She isplaying word games," said Chan Wai Lam William, general officerof the Student Union of Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Calls for resignation

Demonstrators have also called for Lam to resign as HongKong chief executive, for an independent investigation into police actions against protestersand for the government toabandon the description of a violent protest on June 12 as a
riot.

"It is not a simple thing for CE [chief executive] to stepdown, and I myself still have the passion and undertaking to service Hong Kong people," Lam said when asked about theprotesters' demands.

"I hope that Hong Kong society can give me and my team theopportunity and room to allow us to use our new governance styleto response to people's demand in economy and in livelihood."

China has called the protests an "undisguised challenge" tothe "one-country, two-systems" model under which Hong Kong isruled.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokespersonGeng Shuang, asked aboutLam's remarks, referred to the central government's statement onJune 15 that supportedHong Kong's decision to shelve theextradition bill. He said he had nothing further to add.

Fernando Cheung, a pro-democracy lawmaker who has beenaligned with the protesters, said Lam's response was insufficient.

"She still doesn't get it. If she doesn't establish anindependent inquiry commission, it's the death of heradministration, not just the bill. The crisis cannot be settledwithout some heads rolling," he told Reuters.

Jimmy Sham, convener of the Civil Human Rights Front, whichhas organized a series of protests, said Lam should meet theprotesters' demands and stop using "words to cheat the public."

Amnesty International also said in a statement that Lam's"refusal to acknowledge the consequences of the fatal flaws" of the extradition bill continues to "inflame the situation" inHong Kong. It urged her to formally withdraw the bill and called for "an independent, impartial, effective and promptinvestigation" into police actions on June 12.

Chief executives of Hong Kong are selected by a smallcommittee of pro-establishment figures stacked in Beijing's favour and formally appointed by China's central government.Lam's resignation would require Beijing's approval, experts say.

Lam said the June 12 protest, which saw police fire teargas, rubber bullets and beanbag rounds at demonstrators, had notbeen given a label, but reiterated any decision to prosecutewould be one for the justice department.

"Any demand that we should run an amnesty at this stage,that we will not follow up on investigations and prosecutions ofoffenders, is not acceptable, because that bluntly goes againstthe rule of law in Hong Kong," she said.

"My sincere plea is: Please give us an opportunity, thetime, the room, to take Hong Kong out of the current impasse and try to improve the current situation."