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https://scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3035305/chief-executive-carrie-lam-points-violent-protesters-root
Hong Kong/ Politics

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam points to violent protesters as ‘root of problems’ while city’s economy heads towards negative

  • Lam says government has announced relief measures as the city’s economy entered a technical recession, but such measures would only ‘cure the symptoms, not the roots’ of the issue
  • She said the city could miss the government’s revised growth forecast of anywhere between 0 and 1 per cent this year, entering negative territory
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor on Tuesday blamed violent protesters for Hong Kong’s economic woes, accusing them of ‘finding excuses’ to unleash chaos. Photo: Robert Ng

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor on Tuesday blamed violent protesters for Hong Kong’s economic woes, accusing them of “finding excuses” to unleash chaos as the city headed towards a full year contraction.

Lam said on Tuesday the government had announced relief measures as the city’s economy entered a technical recession, but such measures would only “cure the symptoms, not the roots” of the issue.

“We are likely to have negative economic growth for the full year in 2019,” she said.

“To get to the root of the problems, we must stop violence and let calmness restore in the city … but it was unfortunate that on Sunday and last night, rioters found some excuses, and engaged in extreme violence.”

She said the city could miss the government’s revised growth forecast of anywhere between 0 and 1 per cent this year, down from the 3 per cent growth seen last year. Third-quarter figures for Hong Kong’s economy were due on Thursday.

Lam did not mention the impact of the ongoing US-China trade war on Hong Kong’s economy, but did urge various sectors to support the government and police in curbing lawlessness.

Meanwhile, Lam’s support rating dropped to yet another historic low on Tuesday to 20.2, according to a telephone poll of 1,038 people between October 17 to 23 by Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute.

Police fire tear gas at anti-government protesters during clashes in Mong Kok on Sunday. Photo: Sam Tsang
Police fire tear gas at anti-government protesters during clashes in Mong Kok on Sunday. Photo: Sam Tsang

The previous low was 22.3 earlier this month. More than 80 per cent of poll respondents gave Lam a vote of no confidence, while about 70 per cent said they distrusted the government.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po had warned on Sunday that he “would not rule out the possibility” that Hong Kong’s gross domestic product (GDP) for the full year would see an overall decline. Hours later, protesters hurled petrol bombs at police and vandalised shops in what was the 21st straight weekend of anti-government demonstrations.

Clashes between protesters and police also broke out on Monday night in Tuen Mun over a mysterious smell, which triggered accusations that police were testing chemicals at a facility.

The confrontation ended with vandals targeting shops and police firing tear gas.

Lam’s remarks came as telecoms giant Huawei Technologies publicised the Chinese-language transcript of its founder and chief executive Ren Zhengfei’s recent interview with Euronews last week.

In the interview, Ren said while Hong Kong people had the right to march in accordance with the law and express their opinions freely, they were not free to destroy other people’s property.

“If you go into such a situation ... a large number of [people in the middle] will not follow you and will leave you. These violent people will eventually be isolated by the society,” he said.

Ren was referring to the anti-mainland sentiment among protesters, who have vandalised the premises of businesses linked to the mainland, such as Huawei and Xiaomi.

Lam also said on Tuesday the government had previously filed a writ to request judges to forbid “using, publishing, communicating or disclosing” any personal data of officers and their families after doxxing “became a weapon” in the ongoing social unrest.

The High Court ruled in favour of the government, granting an interim injunction on Friday to ban the publicising of officers’ personal details.

More than 600 doxxing cases involving police officers and protesters were reported since mid-June. Photo: Nora Tam
More than 600 doxxing cases involving police officers and protesters were reported since mid-June. Photo: Nora Tam

Lam said: “There is no dispute that in the last few months or so, we have seen and experienced a large amount of this sort of doxxing … There is also no dispute that the main target is the police.

Lam was also asked to comment on a report in the Financial Times that claimed Beijing was considering replacing her. Lam said China’s foreign ministry had strongly denied the report.

On the case of murder suspect Chan Tong-kai, which sparked the city’s extradition bill crisis, Lam said she hoped Taiwanese authorities would handle the case without political considerations.

“The matter has been complicated by the very different and sometimes confusing messages coming from the [Taiwan] side … Chan and his family are probably trying to clarify some of these messages before he can make up his mind on the timing to go back to Taiwan. Those clarifications are necessary to ensure a fair trial,” Lam said.

In response, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council vice-chairman Chiu Chui-cheng said the island’s judiciary ensured that everyone brought before the court was entitled to a fair trial.

“It is totally an unnecessary psychological barrier for anyone to refuse to turn himself in to the law-enforcing body out of worries that he or she may not be given a fair trial,” he said.

Hong Kong and Taipei have been at loggerheads over how Chan, wanted in Taiwan for the murder of his pregnant girlfriend, should face justice after serving 19 months behind bars on money-laundering charges here.

Lam will visit Shanghai and Nanjing from Thursday to Tuesday next week, during which she is expected to attend the opening ceremony of the 2nd China International Import Expo.

It means Lam will be at the same event as President Xi Jinping, who will deliver the expo’s opening speech.

Additional reporting by Sum Lok-kei and Lawrence Chung