Violence is becoming more severe in Hong Kong’s anti-government protests, but the government is confident that it can manage the crisis itself, the former British colony’s embattled leader said on Tuesday.
For the first time since protests escalated on Sunday, Carrie Lam spoke in public when police fired water cannon and tear gas volleys in clashes with demonstrators who threw bricks and petrol bombs.
Since its transfer to Beijing in 1997, the Chinese-ruled town is struggling with its largest political crisis, and the officials of the Communist Party have sent a definite warning that strong action is feasible to quench the violence.
Hong Kong’s Beijing-backed leader said she wouldn’t give up on building a dialog platform, although it wasn’t time to set up an autonomous crisis investigation, one of the protesters ‘ key requirements.
“We should prepare for reconciliation in society by communicating with different people … We want to put an end to the chaotic situation in Hong Kong,” Lam said, adding she did not believe her government had lost control.
Over the coming days and weeks, more demonstrations are planned, posing a direct challenge to the authorities in Beijing who are eager to quench the unrest ahead of the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China on Oct. 1.
On Tuesday, Beijing again advised against foreign governments interfering in the demonstrations in Hong Kong after the G7 leadership summit of seven industrialized nations called for the avoidance of violence.
Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Beijing was “strongly dissatisfied and resolutely opposed” to the G7 “making thoughtless remarks and gesticulating” about Hong Kong matters.
Public security minister Zhao Kezhi said on a visit to Guangdong’s southern province close to Hong Kong, China would crack down on violent terrorist activity and strongly protect its political security.
In mid-June, unrest in the Asian financial hub escalated over a now-suspended extradition bill that would allow individuals to be sent to China for trial in Communist Party-controlled courts.
But over 12 straight weeks, the protests have developed into a wide demand for higher democracy under the formula of “one country, two systems” following the colonial ruler Britain’s 1997 transfer to China.
To date, authorities have refused to fulfill any of the five main requirements of the demonstrators: withdraw the extradition bill, set up an autonomous protest investigation and perceived police brutality, stop describing the protests as “rioting,” waive charges against the arrested, and resume political reform.
Police have detained 883 individuals, including several minors, since the movement began, with only 12 of the youngest, they said on Tuesday. Those accused number 136, while injured were 205 police officers.
On Monday, after weekend conflicts that included the first gunshot, the government said illegal violence pushed Hong Kong to the verge of great danger.
The protests come as Hong Kong faces its first recession in a century, with under considerable stress all its pillars of development. Rating agencies have raised concerns about the quality of their governance over the long term.
Made jittery by the disturbances, some Hong Kong tycoons began moving offshore private property while citizens began looking for housing elsewhere.
Jamie Mi, partner at Melbourne-based Kay & Burton, said the real estate agency received approximately one-third more inquiries from customers in Hong Kong than normal, with most targeting high-end properties priced above A$ 5 million ($3.4 million).
In the previous quarter, Juwai.com, China’s biggest international property website, reported a 50 percent rise in Australian property enquiries from Hong Kong.