Protest crisis worsening economic slump, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam says
- Chief executive compares recent malaise to downturn caused by Sars outbreak of 2003
- She has also recalled her cabinet early from its summer recess
Hong Kong’s embattled leader has said mass protests and flashmob-style demonstrations gripping the city must end, claiming they were contributing to an economic slump worse than the 2003 Sars outbreak.
Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s remarks on Friday came as the city’s police banned four marches scheduled for the weekend, citing safety concerns, and hundreds of people joined a sit-in at the airport scheduled to last the weekend.
Lam also said she was reconvening her cabinet, the Executive Council, next Tuesday, cutting its summer recess by two weeks to deal with the protests and their economic impact.
The unrest, now in its third month, started in opposition to an extradition bill but has since widened to cover wider grievances against the government. Protesters have occupied roads and vandalised buildings, clashing repeatedly with police, who have used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds.
On Friday, Lam met 33 business sector representatives, including Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce chairman Aron Harilela and chief executive of HSBC Asia-Pacific Peter Wong Tung-shun.