Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam pledges other options if police conduct probe cannot quell public anger at force handling of anti-government protests
- Investigation by police watchdog will focus on controversial episodes during recent unrest, such as mob attack in Yuen Long and police charge on Prince Edward station
- If it does not assuage residents’ concerns, Lam will ‘definitely think of another way to make a sufficient response to the public’
Hong Kong’s leader on Sunday pledged to find other ways to assuage public concerns about police conduct if an official probe into key incidents during more than four months of political turmoil failed to do the job.
Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said the investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) would focus on controversial episodes during the recent anti-government unrest, including the Yuen Long mob attack and the police charge on Prince Edward station.
But she did not specify what she would do if the police watchdog’s report, due by the end of this year, does not placate angry residents.
Protesters have repeatedly demanded an independent commission of inquiry into the alleged wrongdoing, but Lam has rejected that, saying the IPCC investigation will suffice. She earlier appointed two more members to the council – former Bar Association chairman Paul Lam Ting-kwok and former deputy ombudsman Helen Yu Lai Ching-ping – in a bid to enhance public confidence.
Speaking in an interview with TVB, Lam said the IPCC probe would cover several controversial incidents, including the Yuen Long attack on the night of July 21, when a rampaging mob, mostly dressed in white, assaulted protesters and passengers indiscriminately in and around an MTR station.