Hong Kong leader's adviser: 'extradition bill could be delayed'

Bernard Chan. Photo from the South China Morning Post

By Jeffie Lam

A contentious extradition bill at the centre of a political crisis in Hong Kong looks increasingly likely to be delayed, with a top adviser to the city's leader suggesting it will be impossible to rush it through the legislature.

“I think it is impossible to discuss [the bill] under such confrontation. It would be very difficult,” Executive Council convenor Bernard Chan said on Friday.

“At the very least we should not escalate the antagonism.”

Chan advised Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor's government to re-evaluate the situation in light of violent clashes between police and young protesters after a mass rally against the bill brought hundreds of thousands onto the streets.

Chan also admitted he had underestimated the backlash from the business community over the proposed legislation, which would allow the transfer of fugitives to jurisdictions that Hong Kong does not have an extradition agreement with, including mainland China.

In this June 12 photo, riot police fire tear gas towards protesters outside the Legislative Council in Hong Kong. AP-Yonhap

Chan was speaking two days after tens of thousands of protesters ― mostly in their 20s ― brought part of the city to a standstill by occupying key roads in Admiralty to besiege the legislature and prevent it from debating bill.

The protest ended in clashes with police, which left more than 80 people injured as officers fired tear gas, rubber bullets and beanbag rounds to disperse the crowd. Eleven people were arrested.

“What happened on Wednesday is saddening and is not something that we would want to see,” Chan said in a radio phone-in programme. “We indeed need to review what to do.

“Our first task right now is on how to mollify the public to avoid more clashes in future.”

Asked if the government should press the pause button for the bill, he said it would depend on the chances of getting the bill passed, but he also did not want to see the legislature paralysed by a single piece of legislation.

Before the protests escalated on Wednesday, Lam had insisted the government would push ahead with the bill.