Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam leaves door open on invoking sweeping emergency powers to deal with violent anti-government protests
- City chief does not dismiss speculation that Emergency Regulations Ordinance could be invoked for first time in a half-century
- But members of her cabinet warn against such a move, and opposition figures say it risks trashing the rule of law
Hong Kong’s embattled leader signalled her readiness to get tough in quelling violent anti-government protests, declaring on Tuesday that her administration would consider all the city’s laws, including those granting her sweeping emergency powers.
Her suggestion, however, fuelled concerns she would imminently invoke the powerful emergency law, a move two members of her cabinet cautioned against, while legal experts warned it could deal a blow to the city’s rule of law.
Ahead of her weekly Executive Council meeting on Tuesday morning, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor was asked by reporters whether the government was considering invoking the Emergency Regulations Ordinance, as suggested by a column in pro-government newspaper the Sing Tao Daily.
Instead of dismissing the speculation, Lam said: “All laws in Hong Kong – if they can provide a legal means to stop violence and chaos – the SAR government is responsible for looking into them.”
A government source later told the Post that the administration would not rule out the option, but stressed that it had not been formally discussed.
“For sure, we would not exclude any possibilities at this stage as we do not know how the protest will escalate in future,” the source said. “But all I can say is the protest has not reached that level yet.”