Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Friday measures announced this week to help restore order in the Chinese-ruled city were a first step as ...
The measures are aimed at avoiding the chaos of last weekend, when protesters blocked airport approach roads, threw debris on the train track and trashed the MTR subway station in the nearby new town of Tung Chung in running clashes with police.
"The four actions are aimed at putting one step forward in helping Hong Kong to get out of the dilemma," Lam told reporters during a trip to China's southern region of Guangxi."We can't stop the violence immediately." Lam on Wednesday withdrew a controversial extradition Bill that would have allowed people to be sent to mainland China for trial in courts controlled by its ruling Communist Party and announced three other measures to help ease the crisis, including a dialogue with the people. Global credit rating agency Fitch Ratings on Friday downgraded Hong Kong's long-term foreign currency issuer default rating to"AA" from"AA+". Fitch said it expects that public discontent is likely to persist despite the concessions to certain protester demands.Students and alumni of high schools in the Tuen Mun district of Hong Kong took part in a joint"school human chain rally". Demonstrations, sometimes violent, have gripped the former British colony for three months, at times paralysing parts of the city amid running street battles between protesters and police whose violence has drawn international attention. Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel raised the issue of Hong Kong with Chinese premier Li Keqiang in Beijing, saying a peaceful solution was needed."RETURN TO ORDER" Li told a news conference with Merkel"the Chinese government unswervingly safeguards 'one country, two systems' and 'Hong Kong people govern Hong Kong people'". Hong Kong returned to China in 1997 under the"one country, two systems" formula which guarantees freedoms not enjoyed on the mainland, including an independent judiciary and the right to protests - hence people's anger at the extradition Bill.READ: Messaging app Telegram moves to protect identity of Hong Kong protesters A man takes a picture of posters and sticker notes supporting the anti-government protest movement near the Central Government Offices in Hong Kong, China, Sep 5, 2019. China denies the accusation of meddling and says Hong Kong is its internal affair. It has denounced the protests, warning of the damage to the economy and the possible use of force to quell the unrest. Beijing supported the territory's government"to end the violence and chaos in accordance with the law, to return to order, which is to safeguard Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability", Li added. Many protesters have pledged to fight on despite the withdrawal of the extradition Bill, saying the concession was too little, too late.Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam attends the 2019 Pan-Pearl River Delta Regional Co-operation Chief Executive Joint Conference in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, Sep 6, 2019. Several activists and pro-democracy groups say they will not give up on their demands, with rallies planned on Friday evening at sites across the city such as subway stations and near government headquarters. Hundreds gathered at Prince Edward station, where police fired beanbag guns and used pepper spray on Tuesday to clear demonstrators. Apart from withdrawing the bill and releasing those arrested for violence, they also want an independent inquiry into perceived police brutality, retraction of the word"riot" to describe rallies and the right for Hong Kong people to choose their own leaders.People take an escalator next to posters and sticker notes supporting the anti-government protest movement near the Central Government Offices in Hong Kong, China, Sep 5, 2019. The protests present Chinese President Xi Jinping with his greatest popular challenge since he came to power in 2012. Authorities also say the turmoil has weighed on the economy, which faces its first recession in a decade. There is evidence some funds are being moved to rival financial centres, such as Singapore.
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