Page 11 - ARUBA TODAY

A11
WORLD NEWS Monday 17 June 2019
Massive protests draw apology from

Hong Kong leadership

By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN Kong."
ELAINE KURTENBACH "The chief executive apol-
HONG KONG (AP) — Hong ogized to the people of
Kong citizens marched for Hong Kong for this and
hours Sunday in a massive pledged to adopt a most
protest that drew a late-in- sincere and humble atti-
the-day apology from the tude to accept criticisms
city's top leader for her han- and make improvements in
dling of legislation that has serving the public," it said.
stoked fears of expanding The marchers want Lam to
control from Beijing in this scrap the extradition bill,
former British colony. which is supported by the
The demonstration looked communist leadership in
likely to match in scale one Beijing, and to resign.
a week earlier that brought The crowds filled a wide Tens of thousands of protesters carry posters and banners march
through the streets as they continue to protest an extradition bill,
as many as 1 million people thoroughfare and side Sunday, June 16, 2019, in Hong Kong.
out to express their con- streets paralleling the wa- Associated Press
cern over Hong Kong's rela- terfront of Victoria Harbor
tions with mainland China as tourists and shoppers over possible retribution traffic as the protesters
in one of the toughest tests who drive much of the from the authorities. wound their way through
of the territory's special sta- Asian financial hub's econ- Protesters also are angry Hong Kong's commercial
tus since China took control omy looked on. over the way police used center from a sprawling
in a 1997 handover. At the march's end, hun- tear gas, rubber bullets and downtown park to govern-
Well after dark, crowds dreds sat wearily around other forceful measures ment headquarters.
gathered outside the po- the city government as demonstrators broke Farther down the parade
lice headquarters and headquarters. Some were through barricades out- route, mourners lined up
Chief Executive Carrie Lam singing. Some listening to side the city government's to lay flowers and pay re-
office. On Saturday Lam speeches. Some just rest- headquarters in that small- spects at a makeshift me-
suspended her effort to ing. er but more aggressive pro- morial for a man who fell
force passage of the bill, "Our demands are simple. test. to his death Saturday after
which would allow some Carrie Lam must leave of- The police presence Sun- hanging a protest banner
suspects to be sent for trial fice, the extradition law day was considerably that read in part, "Make
in mainland China. must be withdrawn and more relaxed, with officers Love, No Shoot" and "No
The move did not appease the police must apologize deployed mainly to direct Extradition to China."q
Hong Kong residents an- for using extreme violence
gered over the plan who against their own people,"
see it as one of many steps bank worker John Chow
chipping away at Hong said as he marched with
Kong's freedoms and le- a group of his friends. "And
gal autonomy. Opponents we will continue."
worry the law could be Protesters have mainly fo-
used to send criminal sus- cused their anger on Lam,
pects to China to poten- who had little choice but
tially face vague political to carry through dictates
charges, possible torture issued by Beijing, where
and unfair trials. President Xi Jinping has en-
Protesters are also angered forced increasingly authori-
over forceful tactics by po- tarian rule.
lice in quelling unrest at a Many here believe Hong
June 12 demonstration. Kong's legal autonomy has
Periodically, the shouts been significantly dimin-
of the protesters stand- ished despite Beijing's insis-
ing shoulder-to-shoulder in tence that it is still honoring
front of the police head- its promise, dubbed "one
quarters would crescendo country, two systems," that
in a roar that reverberated the territory can retain its
through the narrow con- own social, legal and politi-
crete canyons of the red- cal system for 50 years after
light district of Wanchai. the handover.
Smaller crowds stood The rally drew marchers
chanting outside Lam's of- both young and old, some
fice building. pushing strollers or car-
The statement issued late rying slumbering infants.
Sunday said mentioned Few wore face masks or
the demonstrations and seemed to be trying to
said the government "un- hide their identities, in con-
derstands that these views trast with demonstrations
have been made out of Wednesday, when par-
love and care for Hong ticipants expressed worries