CE urges foreign politicians to stop fueling violence in HK

Hong Kong special administrative region Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor on Tuesday urged foreign politicians to stop fueling violence in Hong Kong with irresponsible remarks that embolden rioters.

Speaking before the weekly Executive Council meeting, Lam said no foreign countries still believe that what happened in the past four months in Hong Kong, especially in the past two months, are covered by freedom of expression and represent peaceful and lawful protests.

Lam's remarks came in response to Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong.

In a recent interview, Patten called the HKSAR's enactment of the Prohibition on Face Covering Regulation "absolutely madness".

In return, she said that if similar situations occurred abroad, far sterner actions would have been used to quell the unrest.

The social unrest has caused far-reaching influence to society and the economy, said Lam.

The retail, catering, hotel and tourism industries, which employ 600,000 workers, are bearing the brunt for the protracted violence and vandalism, she said.

From Oct 1-6, the usual peak tourism season, the number of tourists halved compared with last year, Lam said.

The rioters have been lawless and without limits, Lam said.

The rioters have made the railway system – the city's major transport network – their target, paralyzing the system, she said.

The already strained metro system is unable to provide full services on Tuesday mornings and long queues at bus stops have been seen in many districts as early commuters rush to work, she said.

In the meantime, rioters have been spreading terror in the city by vandalizing shops whose owners express different views, Lam said.

In spite of the anti-mask law introduced Saturday, masked black-clad protestors went on to wreak havoc in various locations over the weekend, setting fires, smashing windows of shops and beating up innocent citizens.

One major goal of the anti-mask law is to deter to potential lawbreakers, especially underage students.

According to Lam, since the beginning of the new semester in September, about 40 percent of those arrested have been aged younger than 18. On Oct 6 alone, 10 percent of those arrested were below the age of 15.

As a responsible government, we want to let students, teachers, schools and parents to realize that taking part in assemblies wearing masks is illegal, Lam said.

"It is too early to say that the anti-mask law will not be effective," Lam said, adding that it takes time for any law or policy to be effectively implemented.

But she appealed to the commonsense and rationality of the Hong Kong people time to observe the law.

"If we are so proud of Hong Kong, being a city that upholds and safeguards the rule of law, one important component of the rule of law is a law-abiding population," Lam said.

In the meantime, the government will strike a balance between respecting the rights of journalists who are at the frontline to report on the scene but at the same time allow police to enforce the law.

Lam is expected to deliver her third Police Address on Oct 16, which she said is at the final stage of completion.

The address will not be as comprehensive as before, as both Lam and her governing team have been preoccupied handling the protracted violence and vandalism that have gripped the city since mid-June.