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Letters

As a British citizen, I fundamentally oppose the actions of those thugs who ransacked the Legislative Council on July 1, and deeply resent their use of the Union Jack for their own political ends.
As a permanent resident of Hong Kong, living here for 11 years, I also deeply resent the government’s delay in ordering the clearing of the mob. Their behaviour was exactly reminiscent of the Red Guards of the Cultural Revolution, who were left unopposed by China’s authorities to ransack its cultural and religious heritage in the 1960s, because it suited the political ends of Mao Zedong.
In contrast, during the April 1966 Hong Kong riots, British forces immediately implemented the rule of law, imposing a curfew and achieving a swift resolution.
To ensure that Hong Kong continues to flourish as a world city, and not return to being what Lord Palmerston dismissively described in 1841 as “a barren rock with barely a house on it”, it is crucial that the rule of law is maintained without any political interference.
Julian King, Discovery Bay
Vandals should be careful what they wish for
Protesters in Hong Kong have vandalised the Legislative Council and rejected proposals to put in place an extradition treaty, but they should be careful what they wish for.
Hong Kong is a part of China, so no extradition treaty is actually needed. Why would you need an extradition law when you are taking a criminal from one area of the same country to another? Extradition laws are only needed between separate countries, so China is being too kind and is giving too much recognition to Hong Kong by using the term “extradition”. There should be no more talk of “extradition” – the term is not applicable to the internal good governance of a country and its districts.
If a criminal is to be moved from one part of the country to another this should be done as a federal matter, where the central federal laws of the country (which apply to everyone) take priority. This is the system which is used in the US and other so-called Western democracies, so there should be no complaints if China uses the same process. The protesters and vandals will cry about this, but they only have themselves to blame for disrespecting the kind and patient efforts of the Hong Kong legislature.
The first people who should be prosecuted for crimes against China should be those who attacked the Legislative Council building in Hong Kong.
James McLean, Falkirk, Scotland
Deliberate and wilful lawlessness on display
It is more than a demonstration when TV news scenes show wilful destruction of a public building, and a grey-haired senior bystander violently thrust aside when attempting to stop this, in the sight of policemen seemingly unwilling to carry out their proper duties lest they be branded and shamed.
These actions constituted deliberate and wilful lawlessness, and involved the destruction of public property, against which we must be protected by the full and proper application of Hong Kong law. Why should those who use any means to deliver a message while seeking to attract the world’s media be allowed to step outside the law, while others of a contrary view must at all times stay within the law? This is simply not good enough. Everyone, demonstrator or not, must be answerable to the law – and be held to account if they choose to break it.
James Blake, Ap Lei Chau
﻿Why protesters must also oppose Meng’s US extradition
As a second-generation Chinese in Canada, I view with concern the violent protests in Hong Kong. If extradition to mainland China is not trusted, then the extradition of Meng Wanzhou by a third party (Canada) to the US should also be protested just as vehemently.
By protesting both forms of extradition, the Hong Kong people will demonstrate to Beijing a) their fear of arbitrary or unjust laws; b) their loyalty, in being Chinese; and c) a consistent stand.
It would be more difficult for Beijing to ignore the protesters if they visibly supported Meng’s case. It would also point out the Western hypocrisy and imperialism in trying to impose their laws outside their own jurisdiction on the rest of the world. They are already doing this with “economic sanctions” and unfair “trade rules”. This must be opposed.
Jerry Chin, Toronto


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Hong Kong extradition bill

Why the delay in clearing ransacking mob from Hong Kong legislature?

Protesters who stormed the main chamber of the Legislative Council drape the colonial flag over the podium during their protest against the extradition bill on July 1. Photo: Antony Dickson

Hong Kong’s success depends on respect for the rule of law

Protesters smashed doors and windows, defaced photographs and scrawled obscenities on walls of the Legislative Council building in Tamar. Photo: Felix Wong

Protesters retreat as riot police clear the area around Admiralty after protesters stormed the Legislative Council Chamber in Tamar during a protest against the extradition bill on the 22nd anniversary of Hong Kong's handover from Britain to China held on July 1, 2019. 02JUL19 SCMP / Sam Tsang

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor meet the press at the Police Headquarters in Wan Chai after protesters stormed the Legislative Council Chamber in Tamar during a protest against the extradition bill on the 22nd anniversary of Hong Kong's handover from Britain to China held on July 1, 2019. 02JUL19 SCMP / Winson Wong

A few hooligans are blackening the name of an admirable mass movement

Protesters storm the Legislative Council building in Hong Kong on the 22nd anniversary of the city’s handover from Britain to China. Photo: Winson Wong

Be water, my friend, but don’t be stupid: a radical minority among Hong Kong protesters are taking it too far

Protestors and police clash at the Central harbourfront site which now belongs to the People’s Liberation Army. Photo: Dickson Lee

Protesters against the extradition bill gathered outside the Wanchai Police Headquarter in Wan Chai. 27JUN19 SCMP/ Dickson Lee