Chief Executive Carrie Lam, flanked by Secretary for Security John Lee Ka-chiu (left) and Commissioner of Police Stephen Lo (right), meet the media at the Chief Executive’s Office in Tamar, Admiralty, to respond to the extradition bill protest outside the liaison office in Sai Ying Pun and the violence at Yuen Long station on July 21. Photo: Robert Ng
Opinion
Opinion
by Albert Cheng
Opinion
by Albert Cheng
What China’s leaders and angry Hong Kong protesters agree on: Carrie Lam must clean up her own mess
With calls from across the political spectrum for the chief executive to set up an independent inquiry commission, she must act without delay
The difference in the police’s treatment of extradition bill protesters and members of the attacking mob in Yuen Long has almost depleted public confidence in the force
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s tears and her announcement of the death of the extradition bill have failed to put an end to the political turmoil in Hong Kong, which has only escalated. Although the number of protesters who attended the march on July 21 dropped to 430,000, the rally was followed by clashes between the police and protesters. The police again fired tear gas, rubber bullets and pepper spray to disperse the much smaller crowd of protesters.
However, that night, the public’s attention quickly moved to Yuen Long where local thugs in white T-shirts, who claimed to be protecting their home, gathered outside the MTR station, holding wooden sticks and metal bars, waiting to beat protesters returning from the anti-extradition bill march. They ended up brutally attacking people in the station and even inside a train.
Some people reported seeing uniformed police officers turning a blind eye to the men in white T-shirts fleeing the station after the attack. The police stations in both Yuen Long and Tin Shui Wai were closed, making it impossible for the public to lodge formal complaints. The emergency services hotline for the area and the landlines of both police stations were jammed. It appeared to the public that the triads had taken over Yuen Long.
According to international relations scholar Simon Shen Xu-hui, by international standards, the violence in Yuen Long could be characterised as a terrorist attack. A day after the incident, while Lam was holding a press conference with her top officials, rumours were rife that triads had assigned men to target young people in black T-shirts. Not only was Yuen Long a ghost town , fear spread across the Northern New Territories to Tin Shui Wai, Sheung Shui and Tuen Mun, with many businesses downing their shutters.
While Lam and Commissioner of Police Stephen Lo Wai-chung condemned the violence and emphasised that the government would not tolerate triad activities, the police did not dispel the rumours that there would be more triad attacks.
Despite police denials, there have long been suspicions that the police force covers for the triads. Police failure to act in time against the mob in Yuen Long station has appalled Hongkongers. The force has almost completely lost public goodwill. The harsh treatment of extradition bill protesters stands in sharp contrast to the tolerance of the mob in Yuen Long.
If Lam insists on prosecuting the young protesters who took part in the so-called riot on June 12, then she must prosecute the triad members who went on a rampage in Yuen Long and also investigate police misconduct. Policemen who have breached the rules of the force should be dismissed. Those found of violating the law should be strictly prosecuted. There is no room for double standards.
Apart from the police, lawmaker Junius Ho Kwan-yiu should be investigated for links to the mob violence. The pro-establishment camp should abandon him immediately and he should be disqualified from the Legislative Council.
Pro-establishment lawmaker Junius Ho explains at a press conference on July 22 why he was seen giving a thumbs-up to men in white T-shirts on July 21 when a mob violently attacked people at Yuen Long station. Photo: Nora Tam
Lam must bear the primary responsibility for the chaos in Hong Kong. She completely ignored protesters’ five core demands – the full withdrawal of the extradition bill, retracting the characterisation of the protests on June 12 as a riot, the release of all arrested protesters, the formation of an independent inquiry commission and the implementation of universal suffrage.
Former chief justice of Hong Kong Andrew Li Kwok-nang and other influential members of the community, including the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, have urged the government to set up an independent commission with the power to thoroughly look into the extradition bill turmoil and ascertain responsibility in accordance with the law. If Lam continues to refuse to do so, the bedlam will further spread and escalate.
There is public consensus that political issues must be resolved by political means. Lam can no longer hide behind the police or the triads. No matter how many times she claims that she is doing her best to connect with the younger generation, she is not going to convince Hongkongers unless she puts her words into action.
Fairness, impartiality and justice are basic principles of governance, not just political slogans. Whether Lam will step down soon or finish her term, she must clean up her own mess. On this, Hongkongers and the central government are in agreement.
