Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam holds first talks with public to end crisis

Hong Kong’s leader will hold the first community talks, in a bid to end the unrest.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam. Source: AAP

Hong Kong’s embattled leader Carrie Lam will hold her first talks with members of the public in a bid to resolve a political crisis that has fuelled nearly four months of sometimes violent protests and plunged the city into chaos. 

Beijing-backed Ms Lam will hold a dialogue with 150 members of the community, with each participant given around three minutes to express their views, city authorities have said.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam. Source: AP
Tight security is expected around the venue in the commercial and nightlife district of Wan Chai, where some schools and businesses planned to close early ahead of the meeting scheduled for 11am

“Deep wounds have been opened in our society. These will take time to heal,” Ms Lam said in an opinion piece in the New York Times ahead of the talks.

“But it remains this government’s hope that conversation will triumph over conflict and that through its actions, calm can be restored and trust can be rebuilt within the community.”

What started as protests over a now-shelved extradition bill that would have allowed criminal suspects to be sent to mainland China for trial have evolved into broader calls for greater democracy, among other demands.
Protesters lower a Chinese national flag which they later set on fire in Hong Kong.
Protesters lower a Chinese national flag which they later set on fire in Hong Kong. Source: AP
While there have been violent incidents in parts of the former British colony over the last three months, life for many people goes on as normal most of the time.

The protests have taken a heavy toll on some businesses as tourists stay away. Cathay Pacific, the city’s flagship carrier, has been the biggest corporate casualty after China demanded it suspends staff involved in the protests.

Cathay CEO Rupert Hogg and Chairman John Slosar have since left the company.

Rail operator MTR Corp has also suffered, with passenger numbers on the high-speed rail link to mainland China plunging 30 per cent to 1.14 million people in August from July.

Passengers on the Airport Express, which links the city to the international airport where protesters have disrupted operations, were down 10 per cent over the same period to 1.3 million people.
Riot police officers fire teargas during clashes with protestors in the Wong Tai Sin District district of Hong Kong, on Monday, Aug. 5, 2019. A top Chinese official overseeing Hong Kong affairs said on Wednesday that the city was experiencing its worst cr
Riot police officers fire teargas during clashes with protestors last month. Source: The New York Times
MTR has at times suspended city rail services during the protests, preventing some demonstrators from gathering and making it a target of attack, with protesters vandalizing stations and setting fires near some exits.

The rail operator halted services at Sha Tin station on Wednesday night after protesters vandalised facilities there for a second time since the weekend.

Train services resumed on Thursday.

The protesters are also angry about what they see as creeping Chinese interference in Hong Kong, which returned to China in 1997 under a “one country, two systems” formula intended to guarantee freedoms that are not enjoyed on the mainland.

China says it is committed to the arrangement and denies meddling. It has accused foreign governments including the United States and Britain of inciting the unrest.

The Chinese-ruled territory is on edge ahead of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic on October 1, with authorities eager to avoid scenes that could embarrass the central government in Beijing.

The Asian financial hub also marks the fifth anniversary this weekend of the start of the “Umbrella” protests, a series of pro-democracy demonstrations in 2014 that failed to wrestle concessions from Beijing.


Share
3 min read

Published

Source: Reuters, SBS


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world
Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam holds first talks with public to end crisis | SBS News