The city’s embattled leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, broke with tradition to talk about self-reflection over her mishandling of the now-suspended extradition bill, rather than Hong Kong’s development in the national context.

Lam, who also raised eyebrows by dressing in sombre colours, gave a six-minute speech in which she largely concentrated on the lessons she would learn from the political crisis that has engulfed her administration as a result of the bill.

This marked her first appearance in public since apologising on June 18 over the controversial legislation, which is still provoking mass protests as Lam is refusing to completely withdraw it.

“I will learn the lesson,” she said, in front of hundreds of guests including her husband, officials, business leaders and other dignitaries at the event in Wan Chai.

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The bill would have allowed the city to send fugitives to jurisdictions with which it did not have an extradition agreement, including mainland China. Although Lam suspended it on June 15, protesters are insisting she drop it altogether.

Her speech was disrupted by democratic lawmaker Helena Wong Pik-wan, who repeatedly shouted “Carrie Lam step down, withdraw the evil law”. Wong was quickly taken away by security guards.

At around the same time, on Lung Hop Street and Lung Wo Road, more than 200 police from the special tactical squad were in a stand-off with protesters following an earlier clash that saw officers use pepper spray to disperse the crowd.

Police said 13 officers were sent to hospital after clashes with protesters in the streets nearby. A source said the injured officers had been splashed with an unidentified liquid that was believed to be drain cleaner.

A statement issued at 11.30am condemning the violence said the officers were hurt during clashes at Lung Wo Road, Tim Mei Avenue and Harcourt Road at around 9.30am. It said some of those injured could hardly breathe and their skin had become swollen.

Hong Kong Police Inspectors’ Association also condemned the use of the unidentified liquid, and said it was a serious criminal offence, and the offenders would be held accountable.

“What happened in recent months has led to controversies and disputes between the public and the government. This has made me fully realise that I, as a politician, have to remind myself all the time of the need to grasp public sentiments accurately,” Lam said in her keynote speech.

“I am also fully aware that while we have good intentions, we still need to be open and accommodating.”

Lam made a list of promises: to spend more time meeting individuals from all walks of life and people from across the political spectrum; to reach out to young people of different backgrounds listen to their thoughts; and to enhance the government’s overall work in communicating with different people to gauge public sentiments accurately.

She also promised to strengthen communication between the executive authorities and the legislature so that she and her team would obtain views on different stages of policy formulation; and to ensure the government made a critical assessment of the situation and thorough deliberations when formulating policies.

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“The government will need to reform its governing style urgently, which will start from me,” she said.

She said her administration had a lot to improve on, and would have to tackle housing and land supply, and step up improvement in education and medical services.

“The government’s work cannot stop,” she said.

Protesters down the road were unimpressed.

Teacher Thomas Lam, 26, said his instant reaction was “not again”.

“She always appears that she is willing to listen,” he said. “But she never actually answers the real questions.”

Most guests, such as Beijing’s liaison office chief in Hong Kong, Wang Zhimin, and Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah, left the ceremony without taking questions.

Pro-establishment lawmaker Priscilla Leung Mei-fun said Lam should respond to protesters as soon as possible, but not give in to their demands, which included scrapping the bill, retracting references to the clashes on June 12 as “rioting”, dropping charges against those arrested, and setting up an independent inquiry into allegations of police brutality.

“We do not agree with her making any further concessions,” Leung said. “We told her our supporters are very dissatisfied, too. You can see from the rally on Sunday.”

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Tens of thousands of people, mostly middle aged and older, gathered at Tamar Park outside the government headquarters in Admiralty on Sunday to show their support for the police, and to demanded the bill be passed.

Leung said Lam should consider reshuffling her senior government officials, and visit neighbourhoods to meet people.

Former police chief Andy Tsang Wai-hung said the disciplinary force should not have been dragged into the current political crisis, but stopped short of commenting on whether Lam’s administration should face protesters to resolve the impasse.

“Allow me to share what many frontline officers think,” Tsang said. “None of us want to get involved in this political issue.”