Salute ! Hong Kong Legislature Withdraws Extradition Bill That Sparked Months Of Unrest
HONG KONG (Reuters) -
Hong Kong’s legislature on Wednesday formally withdrew planned legislation that
would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, but the move was unlikely to
end months of unrest as it met just one of five demands of
pro-democracy protesters. The rallying cry of
the protesters, who have trashed public buildings in the Chinese-ruled city,
set street fires and thrown petrol bombs at police, has been “five demands, not
one less”, meaning the withdrawal of the bill make no difference. Hong Kong leader
Carrie Lam had said many times the bill was as good as dead and said that other
demands, including universal suffrage and an amnesty for all those charged with
rioting, were beyond her control.
Protesters are also
calling for her to stand down and for an independent inquiry into perceived
police brutality during a long hot summer of running battles on the streets. “There aren’t any big
differences between suspension and withdrawal (of the extradition bill)... It’s
too little, too late,” said 27-year-old protester Connie, hours before the bill
was withdrawn. “There are still other demands the government needs to meet,
especially the problem of police brutality.” Most protesters do not
give their full name to avoid being identified.
Police have responded
to the violence with water cannon, tear gas, rubber bullets and several live
rounds. Protesters are angry
at what they see as Beijing encroaching on the former British colony’s “one
country, two systems” formula enshrined during the handover in 1997, which
permits the city wide-ranging freedoms not available on the mainland such as an
independent judiciary.
The extradition bill
would have allowed defendants charged with serious crimes to be sent for trial
abroad, including to Communist Party-controlled courts in China. The bill was seen as
the latest move by Beijing to erode those freedoms. China has denied these
claims and accuses foreign countries of fomenting trouble. A murder suspect whose
case Lam had originally held up as showing the need for the extradition bill walked
free on Wednesday as the city’s government squabbled with Taiwan over how to
handle his potential voluntary surrender to authorities...
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hong-kong-extradition-bill-withdrawn_n_5daffd11e4b08cfcc3247cd1
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