Carrie Lam in her own words on extradition bill: I feel deep sorrow and regret for controversies and dispute stirred up in society

Decision to mothball bill taken to ‘restore calmness’ in city after ‘distressing’ scenes of violence, says Hong Kong leader

Lam insists fugitive proposals are necessary and that she will try again to make them law if ‘circumstances permit’

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Carrie Lam addresses the media as she confirms her government’s plans to cancel the progression of the extradition bill for the time being. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Published: 10:55pm, 15 Jun 2019Updated: 10:26am, 16 Jun 2019

Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced the suspension of the legislative process for the controversial extradition bill in a 75-minute press conference on Saturday, when she took 16 questions from local and overseas reporters.

While stressing the bill was well-intended, she expressed regret for the controversies the proposal had sparked.

"I feel deep sorrow and regret that the deficiencies in our work and various other factors have stirred up substantial controversies and dispute in society following the relatively calm periods of the past two years, disappointing many people,” she said.

"We will adopt the most sincere and humble attitude to accept criticisms and make improvements so that we can continue to connect with the people of Hong Kong.”

The bill would have provided the legal grounding for Hong Kong to send suspects on a case-by-case basis to jurisdictions with which the city has no long-term extradition agreement, including mainland China.

Here is a breakdown of some of the key questions and answers:

Why did you wait till now - after rounds of criticism, more than one million people took to streets and violent clashes between protesters and police - to decide the suspension? Did you meet Vice-Premier Han Zheng earlier this week and did he tell you to press the pause button?