Days after massive protest in Hong Kong, Carrie Lam all set to withdraw extradition bill

Beijing: Hong Kong's embattled pro-China leader Carrie Lam is all set to formally withdraw the much-hate extradition bill on Wednesday (September 4) that sparked the nearly three-month-long protest crisis which virtually paralysed the city.

It is reportedly said that the decision would mean that the Hong Kong government is eventually agreeing to one of the five demands of the protesters, who have taken to the streets to voice the opposition to the legislation and the overall governance of the city in demonstrations that have become increasingly violent.

Protests broke over the bill, which allows local Hong Kong people to be prosecuted in the Chinese mainland.

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Besides the demand to withdraw the bill, the pro-democracy protestors are also demanding resignation and universal franchise of 'one person one vote' with freedom for all the locals to contest the local elections.

Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam had earlier suspended the bill, but critics were not satisfied.

If Lam withdraws the bill, it would be a massive setback for China, which governs Hong Kong under the one country two systems formula ever since it took control of the former British colony in 1997.

Since June 2019, Hong Kong is witnessing massive protests by millions of people at times demanding the local government to withdraw the legislation to extradite residents suspected of a crime to the mainland for prosecution.

Over the past few days, several youth and students went on the streets to stage a protest against the withdrawal of the extradition bill. The protests, however, turned violent where the Hong Kong Police jumped into action to clear the protest.

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