Hong Kong extradition bill is ‘dead’, says Carrie Lam
Chief executive falls short of withdrawing the bill completely
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam says the controversial bill that would have allowed extradition to the Chinese mainland is “dead”.
“What I said today is not very different from before, but maybe people want to hear a very firm response … the bill has actually died,” the chief executive of the city-state said in a statement. “So people won’t need to worry that there will be renewed discussions on the bill in the current legislature.”
The statement came after weeks of unrest in the city, in which millions of residents took to the streets to demonstrate against the bill that would allow the extradition of individuals to mainland China.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Some of the protests involved violent clashes with police. On 1 July, hundreds of activists stormed the city's legislature, vandalizing and occupying it for several hours before retreating in the face of a police clearance.
Lam added that she felt “heartbroken” over the conflict caused by the proposed law, which she described as a “total failure”. However, she stopped short of saying it had been withdrawn completely.
“We suspended it and we have no time table, we reiterate that when the current legislature ends, i.e. July next year, it will be automatically expired,” she said.
Political opponents have already expressed their dissatisfaction with the status of the legislation. “The bill is dead is a political description and it is not legislative language,” Civic Party lawmaker Alvin Yeung told the BBC.
“We have no idea why the chief executive refuses to adopt the word withdraw,” he added.
Lokman Tsui, who teaches journalism at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, wrote on Twitter: “If it’s dead for all purposes, then why not just say the words and officially withdraw it? Carrie is just playing a PR game at this point.”
Yesterday, Hong Kong activist and pop star Denise Ho clashed with a Chinese representative to the UN as she urged the international community to stand up for Hong Kong's democratic rights. CNN reports that China's delegation interrupted Ho's speech twice by raising procedural motions.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Antony Gormley's Time Horizon – a 'judgmental army' of 100 cast-iron men
The Week Recommends Sculptures are 'everymen questioning the privilege of their surroundings' at the Norfolk stately home
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
'King's horses take free rein through London'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Is pop music now too reliant on gossip?
Talking Point Taylor Swift's new album has prompted a flurry of speculation over who she is referring to in her songs
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Gaza hospital blast: What the video evidence shows about who's to blame
Speed Read Nobody wants to take responsibility for the deadly explosion in the courtyard of Gaza's al-Ahli Hospital. Roll the tape.
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Giraffe poo seized after woman wanted to use it to make a necklace
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Helicopter sound arouses crocodiles
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Woman sues Disney over 'injurious wedgie'
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Emotional support alligator turned away from baseball stadium
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Europe's oldest shoes found in Spanish caves
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Artworks stolen by Nazis returned to heirs of cabaret performer
It wasn't all bad Good news stories from the past seven days
By The Week Staff Published