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WORLD NEWS Thursday 13 June 2019

Hong Kong police fire tear gas, rubber bullets at protesters

By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN necessary to close legal
Associated Press loopholes with other coun-
HONG KONG (AP) — Hong tries and territories. A vote is
Kong police fired tear gas scheduled on June 20.
and rubber bullets at pro- At regular briefing Wednes-
testers who had massed day, China’s Foreign Minis-
outside government head- try repeated its support for
quarters Wednesday in the bill. Ministry spokesman
opposition to a proposed Geng Shuang also denied
extradition bill that has be- Beijing has been interfer-
come a lightning rod for ing in the city’s affairs in a
concerns over greater Chi- way that violates agree-
nese control and erosion of ments made when Hong
civil liberties in the territory. Kong was handed back to
The afternoon violence China.
marked a major escalation “Hong Kong people’s rights
in the semi-autonomous and freedoms have been
Chinese city’s biggest po- fully guaranteed in accor-
litical crisis in years. It came dance with law,” he said.
after protesters earlier in The protests are widely seen
the day forced the delay as reflecting growing ap-
of a legislative debate over prehension about relations
the bill, which would allow with the Communist Party-
criminal suspects in Hong Riot police fire tear gas to protesters outside the Legislative Council in Hong Kong, Wednesday, ruled mainland, where Xi
Kong to be sent for trial in June 12, 2019. has said he has zero toler-
mainland China. Associated Press ance for those demanding
The overwhelmingly young giving vent to young Hong across a pedestrian bridge. Such protests are never tol- greater self-rule for Hong
crowd had overflowed Kongers alienated by a po- Traffic in one of the busiest erated in mainland China, Kong.
onto a major downtown litical process dominated parts of the city remained and Hong Kong residents Critics believe the extradi-
road as they overturned by the territory’s economic blocked, however, and can face travel bans and tion legislation would put
barriers and tussled with elite. several hundred protest- other repercussions if they Hong Kong residents at
police outside the govern- At a brief news conference ers seemed in no hurry to cross the border. risk of being entrapped in
ment building. But when held as the chaos swirled leave. “Most of these protesters China’s judicial system, in
some appeared to have just outside, Police Com- Earlier in the day, protesters don’t expect the govern- which opponents of Com-
breached the police cor- missioner Stephen Lo Wai- said they hoped the block- ment to compromise. They munist Party rule have
don around the building, chung called the demon- ade would persuade Lam’s just want to express their been charged with eco-
the police launched their stration a riot. That could administration to shelve the own opinions,” said Joseph nomic crimes or ill-defined
response, which also in- mean long jail terms for proposed amendments. Cheng, a long-time observ- national security offenses,
cluded firing pepper spray anyone arrested, adding to “We want the govern- er of Chinese and Hong and would not be guaran-
and water hoses. concerns that Hong Kong’s ment to just set the legisla- Kong politics now retired teed free trials.
Earlier, a curt government government is using public tion aside and not bring it from the City University of Lam said the government
statement said the legisla- disturbance laws to intimi- back,” said a protester who Hong Kong. has considered concerns
tive session scheduled to date political protesters. gave only his first name, “The anger is still there and from the private sector
begin at 11 a.m. would be “We condemn such irre- Marco, to avoid possible the anger will burst again and altered the bill to im-
“changed to a later time.” sponsible behavior,” Lo repercussions from authori- at the next opportunity,” prove human rights safe-
Officials gave no indication said. “There’s no need to ties. Cheng said. guards. She said without
of when that would be and hurt innocent people to Another protester, who Under its “one country, two the changes, Hong Kong
Hong Kong leader Carrie express your opinions,” he gave her name only as systems” framework, Hong would risk becoming a ha-
Lam canceled a sched- said, adding that people King, also out of fear of Kong was supposed to be ven for fugitives. She em-
uled news briefing. should not “do anything repercussions, said the guaranteed the right to phasized that extradition
The delay appeared to they will regret for the rest protest was a watershed retain its own social, legal cases would be decided
have been at least a tem- of their lives.” moment for Hong Kong’s and political systems for 50 by Hong Kong courts.
porary victory for the bill’s Protesters were seen throw- young generation. years following its hando- Opponents of the pro-
opponents, whose protests ing rocks, bottles, metal “We have to stand up for ver from British rule in 1997. posed extradition amend-
are the largest since pro- barricades and other pro- our rights or they will be tak- However, China’s ruling ments say the changes
democracy demonstra- jectiles at police. en away,” she said. Communist Party has been would significantly com-
tions closed down parts of Police spokesman Gong Dressed in black T-shirts seen as increasingly reneg- promise Hong Kong’s le-
the Asian financial center Weng Chun defended and jeans, many protesters ing on that agreement by gal independence, long
for more than three months the decision to use tear appeared undaunted by forcing through unpopular viewed as one of the cru-
in 2014. Some businesses gas and other non-lethal demands to disperse from legal changes. cial differences between
closed for the day, and weapons, saying officers police. The government pushed the territory and mainland
labor strikes and class boy- wouldn’t have had to do The demonstrators also ap- ahead with plans to pres- China.
cotts were called. so if they weren’t facing a peared mindful of Beijing’s ent the amendments to the Hong Kong currently limits
The protests are a chal- serious threat that could growing use of electronic legislature on Wednesday extraditions to jurisdictions
lenge to China’s ruling seriously injure or even kill surveillance such as facial despite a weekend protest with which it has existing
Communist Party and Presi- them. recognition technology to by hundreds of thousands agreements and to oth-
dent Xi Jinping, who has The state of the legislative build dossiers on those it of people that was the terri- ers on an individual basis.
in the past said he would process remained unclear considers politically unreli- tory’s largest political dem- China has been excluded
not tolerate Hong Kong following the violence, able, with many donning onstration in more than a from those agreements be-
being used as a base to which had largely ended surgical masks to hide their decade. cause of concerns over its
challenge the party’s au- by about 5 p.m. after po- features, as well as to safe- Lam has consistently de- judicial independence and
thority. But they are also lice herded demonstrators guard against tear gas. fended the legislation as human rights record.q