Hong Kong protesters against extradition bill head to Admiralty as non-cooperation campaign kicks off and Teresa Cheng apologises

Campaign of non-cooperation comes after city leader fails to address protesters’ demands, which include the legislation’s full withdrawal

Justice minister becomes third senior official to apologise for the government’s handling of the recent crisis

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Protesters were back in Admiralty on Friday. Photo: Winson Wong

Denise Tsangin Hong Kong,Su Xinqiin Hong KongandKinling Loin Beijing

Published: 10:12am, 21 Jun 2019Updated: 5:54pm, 21 Jun 2019

Hundreds of people were gathering in Hong Kong’s political centre on Friday morning as part of a citywide campaign of non-cooperation to pile more pressure on the chief executive to fully retract her suspended extradition bill.

The latest show of public displeasure at the bill came as the city’s justice chief became the third senior official to apologise for the government’s handling of the recent crisis.

By 9am, close to 1,000 young protesters, wearing masks and dressed in black, were in Tamar, the Admiralty area home to the city’s legislature and government headquarters, and their numbers were growing.

Elsewhere, police officers were seen patrolling major subway interchanges, such as Kowloon Tong and Admiralty, to guard against disruption.

Last Saturday, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor suspended the bill, which would allow offenders in Hong Kong to be sent to jurisdictions the city has no extradition deal with, including mainland China. That came after a huge march on June 9 and a demonstration three days later which ended in clashes between police and protesters.

While the government had insisted the legal amendments would close legal loopholes, critics said they could lead to unfair prosecutions north of the border.