LettersHong Kong’s millions of peaceful protesters are being held hostage by Carrie Lam’s focus on the violent minority

The government’s message, despite launching a ‘dialogue platform’, seems to be that it will make no meaningful concessions, even as it demands protesters back down

An amnesty for both sides has historical precedent and is the only practical route out of the crisis

2-MIN READ2-MIN

A man talks to police officers as protesters marching down Nathan Road from Tsim Sha Tsui arrive in Mong Kok on July 7. With the government unwilling to meet protesters’ demands and the protesters unwilling to back down, Hong Kong’s stand-off looks intractable. Photo: Dickson Lee

Published: 7:15am, 28 Aug 2019Updated: 7:15am, 28 Aug 2019

I read Bernard Chan’s article “Unrest must end before change can begin in the city” (August 16) with dismay and pondered as I stood in the rain with 1.7 million others on August 18.

Mr Chan’s proposition was worse than the headline suggests: forget change, there will be no real dialogue until unrest ends. So all peaceful protesters are hostage to a condition they can’t control.

Mr Chan must realise his exhortation would never be obeyed given the government’s failure to listen in the past. Government communications – an essential part of the listening process – indicate no intention of granting any meaningful concessions. Since then, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s “platform for dialogue” has met. Reports indicate she wouldn’t (or couldn’t?) accept the advice of most attendees to meet some of the demands which are widely supported, including to establish an independent investigation. Violent protests exploded again.

Mr Chan also referred to demands for an amnesty and an independent investigation, among others, and said “it is not practical or even possible for the administration to meet this set of demands”. Why? Amnesties have been given in the past, the police themselves being the recipients in the most celebrated example in Hong Kong.

I did not favour an amnesty initially, because I feel everyone must be prepared to take the consequences of their actions. The police have exceptional powers and weapons and they too should be accountable for their use. If certain officers are not prepared to be accountable, they shouldn’t be wearing the badge. However, given the sorry state we are in, perhaps an amnesty is now the only practical way to achieve a solution which is symmetrical and fair to both sides.