Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, offered a “sincere and solemn” apology to the people of her city, and hinted that she had effectively shelved the controversial law which sparked the current crisis as she reached for a compromise with protesters . In her first press conference since record crowds poured onto the streets of Hong Kong to denounce Lam, the bureaucrat-turned-politician described going through an emotional period of “self-reflection”, and said she hoped to heal rifts in society. The crowd called on Ms Lam to withdraw the law, apologise for police violence, halt a crackdown on activists – and ultimately resign. Just a few hundred people have turned out at the start of the week as the people of Hong Kong wait for a government response, but there is no question that public anger remains high. Both Ms Lam and Beijing will be weighing the cost of further concessions against the risk of further inflaming tensions.

Source: The Irish Times June 18, 2019 09:00 UTC