Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, has offered a “solemn” personal apology for the crisis that has engulfed the city since she tried to force a controversial extradition law on to the books. In her first press conference since record crowds poured on to the streets of Hong Kong to denounce her on Sunday, the bureaucrat-turned-politician described going through an emotional time of “self-reflection”, and said she hoped to heal divisions that had opened up in Hong Kong society. She told journalists that after she suspended the bill at the weekend, it was likely to simply “time out”. A day earlier, Lam had reportedly told senior educators in private that suspension of the bill meant “total withdrawal”. Hong Kong police chief admits officers sought to arrest wounded protesters in hospital Read morePublic anger remains high, and with protesters still furious, both Lam and Beijing will be weighing the political cost of further concessions against the political risk of inflaming tensions by standing firm.

Source: The Guardian June 18, 2019 06:35 UTC