This archive report was first published on 9 July 2019.
On July 9, 2019, Hong Kong's embattled leader Carrie Lam urged the public to give her administration a chance to repair the damage caused by the extradition bill, which has sparked widespread protests and the storming of the city's legislature.
Ms. Lam acknowledged that the public's grievances stemmed from her government's earlier efforts to push through the bill despite a large public outcry, saying "We didn’t predict its political sensitivity, and we haven’t done enough, causing this big storm."
She suspended the contentious legislation, which would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, but protesters remain concerned that the government will revive efforts to pass the bill. Ms. Lam reassured the public, saying "There is no such plan. The bill is dead."
However, protesters have repeatedly called on Ms. Lam to fully withdraw the bill, and she has refused to do so. The public anger over the extradition bill has thrown Hong Kong into its worst political crisis in years, with hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets in marches that have been largely peaceful but have sometimes resulted in clashes.
