Page 11 - ARUBA TODAY

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WORLD NEWS Friday 21 June 2019
No Hong Kong response as activists' deadline passes

Associated Press from British to Chinese rule
HONG KONG (AP) — A in 1997.
deadline imposed by activ- No one group or personali-
ist groups for Hong Kong's ty has emerged to lead the
government to scrap protest movement, which
highly unpopular extradi- taps into deep resentment
tion bills and accept other among the young and
demands passed Thurs- middle class over the domi-
day without an official re- nance of a moneyed elite
sponse. over Hong Kong's econo-
The groups have said they my and political institutions.
will call on supporters to sur- Instead, a broad coalition
round government head- of trade unions, church
quarters if their demands groups, political parties,
aren't met, continuing civic groups and veteran
demonstrations in which activists has mobilized their
hundreds of thousands members, galvanized fur-
have taken to the streets in ther by what was widely
the past weeks. seen as heavy-handed po-
The number of protest- lice tactics.
ers outside the Legislative Following last Wednesday's
Council, which had dwin- violence, police adopted
dled since a massive march Various of activist groups from parents and religious hold placards outside the government office a more relaxed approach,
last Sunday, began pick- demanding that stop shooting their kids in Hong Kong, Thursday, June 20, 2019. hoping to avoid a replay
ing up again Thursday af- Associated Press of the events of Septem-
ternoon. With no response ber 2014, when officers un-
from the government, pro- Hong Kong Chief Executive protests in the semi-auton- Lam to resign, including leashed 87 rounds of tear
tests were slated to begin Carrie Lam has apologized omous Chinese territory in Joshua Wong, the student gas at protesters who had
Friday morning and many for her handling of the ex- years. leader of the 2014 "Umbrel- amassed in the same loca-
people appeared pre- tradition bill, which could Other demands by activ- la Movement" pro-democ- tion as the current protests.
pared to spend the night be used to send suspects ist groups include investi- racy protests. They temporarily forced
at the central government to mainland China for trial. gating police tactics used Another group, the Civil the protesters off the roads
complex. But she has stopped short against the protesters, Human Rights Front, which they had occupied, but af-
The government an- of scrapping the legislation, cease calling the protests organized marches on ter the smoke dissipated,
nounced that the complex which critics say threatens a riot, and releasing those the past two Sundays, has bigger crowds returned,
would be closed Friday the territory's judicial in- arrested and dropping called for another protest angrier than before, and
"due to security consider- dependence, prompting charges against them. on July 1, the anniversary didn't leave for nearly three
ations." the largest and angriest Many have also called on of Hong Kong's handover months.q

Malaysia: 'No proof' of Russian

involvement in MH17 downing

By EILEEN NG
Associated Press
PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (AP)
— Malaysian Prime Minis-
ter Mahathir Mohamad on
Thursday rejected the im-
plication that Russia may
have been involved in the
downing of Malaysia Air-
lines Flight 17 over Ukraine,
after international prosecu-
tors charged with murder
four men — three of them
Russians with military or in-
telligence backgrounds —
in the 2014 missile attack In this Thursday, July 17, 2014 file photo, a man walks amongst
the debris at the crash site of a passenger plane near the village
that killed all 298 people of Hrabove, Ukraine.
aboard. Associated Press
Mahathir said he doesn't
think the findings of the in- Russia of the wrongdoing," appealed for witnesses to
ternational investigative he told reporters. "Even be- help lead them even fur-
team "is true at all" as it was fore they examine (the de- ther up the chain of com-
based on hearsay. bris), they already say Rus- mand in President Vladimir
"We are very unhappy be- sia. So it is very difficult for Putin's Russia. Only hear-
cause from the very begin- us to accept that." say," Mahathir said. "I hope
ning, it became a political In announcing the charges everybody will go for the
issue on how to accuse Wednesday, prosecutors truth."q