Small Wars Journal

Hong Kong Leader Backs Down On China Law But More Protests Planned

Sun, 06/16/2019 - 5:01am

Hong Kong Leader Backs Down On China Law But More Protests Planned by Natasha Khan and Chun Han Wong – Wall Street Journal

Hong Kong’s leader indefinitely suspended a bill that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, backing down in an effort to end widespread public unrest fueled by fears that Beijing’s growing reach is eroding people’s rights.

The reversal by Chief Executive Carrie Lam follows a week of mass demonstrations and violent confrontations between protesters and police. The public backlash had unnerved the government’s advisers and forced lawmakers to postpone debate of the proposed law, which would allow for the transfer of suspects to China for trial in its more opaque judicial system.

Ms. Lam said Saturday that work would stop on the proposed law and gave no new timeline for the legislation, calling the move an effort to restore calm. Opponents of the bill drew up to a million protesters to the streets last Sunday in the biggest rally since China reclaimed sovereignty of the city from Britain in 1997…

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