The semi-autonomous government of Hong Kong has taken the decision to suspend the introduction of the extradition bill it announced on Monday,June 10, 2019, owing to a city-wide protest against its decision to introduce the bill.
According to the bill, Hong Kong government would allow extraditions to mainland China. Carrie Lam, Chief Executive said in a statement that she did not want Hong Kong to become a ‘safe heaven’ for criminals.
The Bill was introduced after a man, who murdered his girlfriend in Taiwan, was caught for money laundering in Hong Kong. Following his arrest, he confessed of his role in the murder, the Hong Kong police could detain him but the city had no legal sanction that allowed for his ‘extradition’ to mainland China. The government had argued that the proposed extradition bill would “plug the loopholes” for the safety of the city.
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The Government’s decision to introduce the bill, led to the entire city in protest. The members of the protest were afraid of losing its ‘semi-autonomous’ status to China with the introduction of the bill. Several, political and religious activities felt threatened of their safety. The city had been in complete protest, compelling the Government to reconsider their decision and demanding the pro-Beijing leader Carrie Lam to ‘step down’ from her position.
More than one billion people gathered for a large-scale march on Sunday, June 10, 2019.
On Wednesday,June 12, many gathered to block streets around government headquarters to try to stop the second reading of the extradition bill. The Police used tear gas and rubber bullets on the protesting masses, resulting in 22 police and 60 protesters being injured.
The entire city was against the sanctioning of the bill and aimed to rest only on its suspension.
Earlier today, Saturday, June 15, 2019, the Chief Executive announced in a statement the suspension of the bill and said “The government has decided to suspend the legislative amendment exercise, restart our communication with all sectors of society, do more… work and listen to different views of society…We have no intention to set a deadline for this work and promise to report to and consult members of the legislative council panel on security before we decide on the next step forward.”
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