Hong Kong’s Carrie Lam sees no need for Chinese troops to quell unrest

HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s leader said her government can handle unrest without assistance from Chinese forces, and still wants to hold talks with protesters despite a flare up in violence. “To this day, the SAR government is still confident it’s able to solve the disturbance that’s gone on for two months,” Chief Executive Carrie Lam told a regular briefing on Tuesday before a weekly meeting of her top advisers.

Lam was responding to a question about whether declaring a state of emergency was more effective than calling in the Hong Kong garrison of China’s People’s Liberation Army, amid concerns Beijing will seek to intervene more directly in quelling the city’s unrest.

On Sunday, Beijing issued its most direct warning yet, saying in a Xinhua News Agency commentary that the central government had the legal authority and responsibility to intervene militarily to halt what it said had become a “colour revolution,” even though analysts said such a move remained a last resort.


Tensions flared as the former British colony was rocked by a 12th straight weekend of pro-democracy protests, beginning with the formation of a peaceful human chain across the city and ending two days later with police firing a weapon and using water cannons. Clashes resulted in 86 arrests and left 21 officers injured. There are calls for another mass protest march this weekend.

“Some thought there'd be no more basis for dialogue after this weekend’s escalation of protests, but my colleagues and I are still doing our best to construct a platform for dialogue,” Lam said.