Hong Kong extradition bill debate postponed for June 20, 2019 amidst rising protest
Taking their protest to a new level, thousands of people have blocked the key roads around the Legislative Council (LegCo) in Hong Kong to express solidarity in refraining Government from passing the new extradition bill.
The 70-seat LegCo was preparing to hold the debate on the ‘Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill’ today, i.e., Wednesday, June 12, 2019, when people gathered in huge number outside the LegCo, wearing black shirt, face masks and helmets.
However, fearing unrest in the city, the debate has now been postponed for Thursday, June 20, 2019.
In order to control the situation, Police had to respond with pepper spray on protesters. The Government has tightened the security around LegCo and has put 5,000 policemen on standby mode.
Reactions across Hong Kong
The Chief Executive of Hong Kong – Carrie Lam is adamant on getting the new extradition bill implemented. Reacting strongly to the protest, she said, “I call on schools, parents, institutions, corporations, unions to consider seriously if they advocate these radical actions.”
One of the protestor, Mark, a 20-year-old student from Lingnan University said, “The rule of law is central to Hong Kong. China is very sneaky. They promised us direct suffrage (to elect the chief executive), but then took it back.”
The Convenor of Civil Human Rights Front – Jimmy Sham said, “When the fugitive extradition bill is passed, Hong Kong will become a ‘useless Hong Kong. We will be deep in a place where foreign investors are afraid to invest, and tourists are afraid to go. Once the ‘Pearl of the Orient’, (it) will become nothing.”
The Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong has also urged the Government to not to pass the bill in a hurry. Besides, the local shopkeepers also gave a leave to their staff today, so that they can join the protest and get their concerns voiced.
What’s the bill?
The new bill, if implemented, will allow China, Taiwan and Macau to place extradition request for suspects accused of criminal wrongdoings. The requests will then be decided on a case-by-case basis. However, Hong Kong Courts will have the final say over whether to grant such extradition requests.
The people fear that the new proposed bill will undermine the independence of Hong Kong’s legal system and will put the territory’s citizens at the mercy of Mainland China.
Background to the Bill
In February 2018, a 19-year-old Hong Kong man allegedly murdered his 20-year pregnant girlfriend while they were on a holiday in Taiwan. The accused then returned to Hong Kong. The accused could not be extradited to Taiwan because there is no extradition treaty between these 2 Asian countries.
What happened earlier?
On Sunday, i.e., June 9, 2019, more than 5,00,000 protesters, dressed in white had gathering at Victoria Park from where made their way through the Causeway Bay and Wanchai shopping and residential districts to Hong Kong’s Parliament. They believe that the new bill will subject them to the deeply flawed justice system of People’s Republic of China.
