Hong Kong leader says she never discussed resigning with Beijing
Send a link to a friend
[September 03, 2019]
By Jessie Pang and Clare Jim
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong leader
Carrie Lam said on Tuesday she had never asked the Chinese government to
let her resign to end the Chinese-ruled city's political crisis,
responding to a Reuters report about a recording of her saying she would
step down if she could.
China for its part expressed confidence in Lam and her government but
said it would not sit idly by if the unrest threatened Chinese security
and sovereignty.
Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets of the former
British colony since mid-June in sometimes violent protests against
now-suspended draft legislation that could have seen people sent to
mainland China for trial in Communist Party controlled courts.
Lam told business leaders last week that she had caused "unforgivable
havoc" by introducing the bill and that if she had a choice she would
apologize and resign, according to a leaked audio recording.
Lam told a televised news conference that she had never considered
asking to resign and that Beijing believed her government could solve
the three-month-long crisis without China's intervention.
"I have not even contemplated discussing a resignation with the central
people's government. The choice of resigning, it's my own choice," Lam
said.
"I told myself repeatedly in the last three months that I and my team
should stay on to help Hong Kong ... That's why I said that I have not
given myself the choice to take an easier path and that is to leave."
Lam added that she was disappointed that comments made in a private
meeting, where she had been sharing the "journey of my heart", had been
leaked.
At a news conference given by China's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office
in Beijing, no questions were raised directly about the Lam tape, and a
spokesman and spokeswoman did not refer to it or the Reuters story.
They denounced the violence and Western countries seeking to use the
Hong Kong issue to interfere in China's affairs, and reiterated that
China would never tolerate Hong Kong independence or a leader who was
not loyal to Beijing.
The central government firmly supported Lam and her government, they
said. But it would not sit by forever if the violence continued,
spokeswoman Xu Luying said.
"The central government will not allow chaos in Hong Kong to continue
indefinitely," she said.
"If the situation in Hong Kong continues to worsen and it becomes
turmoil that cannot be controlled by the SAR government and endangers
the country's sovereignty and security, the central government will not
sit idly by."
SAR refers to the "special administrative region" of Hong Kong.
The Global Times, a widely read Chinese tabloid published by the ruling
Communist Party's official People's Daily, denounced the Reuters story
in an editorial on their website.
"Reuters and other Western media have been entangled in the fake news
that 'Carrie Lam's resignation has not been approved' for some time, a
serious infringement of the bottom line of professional ethics.
"They are not objectively reporting facts."
"TWO MASTERS"
The growing unrest in Hong Kong has evolved into a broader call for Hong
Kong to be granted greater autonomy by Beijing, which has often accused
foreign powers, particularly the United States and Britain, of fomenting
the unrest.
Comments on the Reuters story about Lam appeared to be censored on
mainland Chinese social media, although state media covered Lam's news
conference.
[to top of second column]
|
Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam holds a news conference in
Hong Kong, China, September 3, 2019. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
In the audio recording, Lam said that her ability to resolve the
crisis was "very, very limited" as she had to serve "two masters"
and the issue had been elevated "to a national level", a reference
to the leadership in Beijing.
But Lam said on Tuesday that her government had the confidence of
Beijing and could bring an end to unrest itself.
Hong Kong school and university students boycotted classes and held
rallies for a second straight day, calling for what protesters call
their "five demands".
Other than the formal withdrawal of the extradition bill, protesters
want the retraction of the word "riot" to describe rallies, the
release of all arrested demonstrators, an independent inquiry into
the police and the right for Hongkongers to democratically choose
their own leaders.
Under Hong Kong law, rioting can carry a 10-year prison sentence.
Lam has said she is open to dialogue with protesters but has made no
concessions on these demands.
"I think Carrie Lam doesn’t have much power," said Poon, a
21-year-old engineering student at Hong Kong University.
"No matter she can step down or not, it doesn’t matter. Chief
executive is still chosen by the central government. What matters is
she refuses to response to the five demands. She’s an irresponsible
leader."
The weekend was marred by some of the worst violence since the
unrest escalated more than three months ago, with protesters burning
barricades and throwing petrol bombs, and police retaliating with
water cannon, tear gas and batons.
Thousands of protesters blocked roads and public transport links to
Hong Kong airport on Sunday. Some then targeted the MTR subway
station in nearby Tung Chung, ripping out turnstiles and smashing
CCTV cameras, glass panels and lamps with metal poles.
Police have arrested more than 1,140 people since the protests
began, including high-profile activists like Joshua Wong, one of the
leaders of the pro-democracy “Umbrella” movement five years ago that
foreshadowed the current unrest.
Hong Kong returned to China in 1997 under a "one country, two
systems" formula that guarantees wide-ranging autonomy, including
the right to protest and an independent judiciary.
The protesters fear those freedoms are being slowly eroded by
Beijing, a charge China vehemently denies, saying China is its
business and no one else's.
With Hong Kong facing its first recession in a decade, speculation
has grown that the city government may impose emergency laws, giving
it extra powers over detentions, censorship and curfews.
Lam said her government was considering all legal avenues to solve
the crisis.
(Reporting by Clare Jim, Donny Kwok, Jessie Pang, Farah Master,
Felix Tam, Noah Sin, Twinnie Siu, Ben Blanchard and Beijing
newsroom; Writing by Joe Brock and Nick Macfie; editing by Darren
Schuettler)
[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |