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Letters | Why US travel warnings for Hong Kong are the ultimate irony
- Despite violent protests lasting months, Hong Kong is still one of the world’s safest cities, with a murder rate much lower than that in London or New York
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Why you can trust SCMP
It is rather disingenuous for countries such as the United States to issue travel warnings for its citizens who intend to visit Hong Kong. While I understand the concerns regarding the violent nature of recent protests, it also salutary to compare homicide rates in New York, London and Hong Kong for 2019.
New York, with a population of 8.62 million, recorded 318 murders last year; London, with a population of 8.9 million, recorded 149; and Hong Kong, with a population of 7.39 million, recorded 18.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, her inept administrators and Legislative Council members, should emerge from below the parapets, smile, show pride in Hong Kong and its people, and shout from the rooftops that Hong Kong is still a wonderful city, a relatively safe destination and open for business.
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She should also insist that the police and traffic wardens return to their prescribed duty of walking the streets and shed the intimidating garb that prolongs public mistrust and deepens division.
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The longer Mrs Lam, her administration and the police force shy away from fulfilling their sworn responsibilities, the harder it will be for them to regain the confidence and trust of the general public.
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