Exclusive | Hong Kong protests: double blow for Carrie Lam as judges snub chance to lead investigation into unrest, and Beijing rules out inquiry into police use of force
- Sources say several retired judges turned down opportunity to lead review committee looking at causes of social unrest
- Protesters want an independent commission of inquiry into police as one of their five demands
Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has suffered a double blow in her efforts to meet public demands for a proper investigation into the use of force by police against anti-government protesters and the underlying causes behind six months of social unrest.
A source close to the government said several retired judges had turned down offers to head an independent review committee to look into the problems, while the chief executive had drawn a negative response from Beijing when she raised the question of forming a commission of inquiry during her duty visit to the capital last week.
It was not clear if she brought the matter before President Xi Jinping or Premier Li Keqiang during her four-day trip, which ended on Tuesday. Xi expressed strong support for the city’s police to firmly enforce the law during his meeting with Lam on Monday.
While an independent commission of inquiry into police conduct has long been a core demand of the protest movement, Lam is worried about alienating the force when her government is relying heavily on police to curb protest violence.
The source said the government had approached a few retired judges over the past two months to take up the chair of the independent review committee, which is being set up instead to investigate the underlying causes of the protests.