Restore public order Say no to violence Guarding Hong Kong
11 August 2019
The current situation in Hong Kong has rendered the city unfamiliar to us. Recurrent scenes of violent incidents cannot but make us feel disheartened, miserable, anxious and furious. Most, if not all, Hong Kong people are law-abiding citizens who long to see the social order restored as soon as possible. I appeal to all of you to steadfastly defend the rule of law, support the Police in enforcing the law strictly and resolutely and say "no" to violence.
The violent actions of radical protesters have lately been escalating in terms of severity and scale. Some protesters disregarded the law and order increasingly and charged the Central Government Offices, the Police Headquarters and police stations in multiple districts; vandalised police vehicles and community facilities; attacked police officers and damaged disciplined services quarters in a way that frightened and disturbed the women and children residing there. Some protesters even hurled petrol bombs and committed arson, threatening the lives and properties of the public. In addition, some protesters stormed the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and defaced the national emblem. There were also two cases of protesters removing a national flag from the flag pole and throwing it into the sea, blatantly challenging the national authority and infringing the bottom line of the "one country, two systems" principle. The series of violent acts breaching the peace of society were the most serious, extensive and destructive since the reunification of Hong Kong with the motherland. An international metropolis well-known as a safe city, Hong Kong is being pushed to the verge of a very dangerous situation.
Recently, these violent acts have spread to areas consisting mainly of residential buildings, affecting people’s daily lives and causing panic and anxiety in the community. Last Monday, some people even called for a strike and a "non-co-operation campaign". They occupied roads and paralysed train services and public transportation, preventing people from going to work and leading a normal life and causing significant disruption and inconvenience to all the people in Hong Kong. Furthermore, some protestors damaged traffic lights and road facilities, resulting in chaos on roads and risks to both pedestrians and drivers.
A parent said with a sigh that the summer holidays were supposed to be a great time for parent-child activities, but the family dared not take the kids out owing to the "flash mob" protests which were staged in many different areas without prior warning and were often turned into violent confrontations. When they really had to go out, they would be all tensed up and would plan their routes well beforehand so as to stay away from the protests. They would also be back home by nightfall to play safe.
The protests, processions, "non-co-operation campaign" and unlawful acts (such as unlawful assembly, criminal damage, intimidation and assault) that followed have constituted threats to the peace in Hong Kong and made our society unsafe and unstable. If social instability were to continue, Hong Kong’s achievements which were built over many years would very possibly be destroyed.
The rule of law and freedom are the core values of Hong Kong and cornerstone of our long-term prosperity and stability. We respect the freedom of all parties to express their dissatisfaction with the Government through peaceful, rational and lawful means as it can reflect the rule of law and the spirit of social inclusion in Hong Kong, which we have long been proud of. Regarding the protests launched earlier in response to the proposed amendments to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, I would like to reiterate that the legislative amendment exercise has been completely stopped. The whole thing is now really off the agenda. As for the organised and planned acts of violence which caused large-scale destruction recently, it is evident that such acts greatly deviated from the original principles of peace and reason and often necessitated police intervention to restore public order in the affected communities.
The Police Force is the mainstay for upholding law and order in our community as well as the most important line of defence for maintaining social stability. Despite the grim situation and tremendous pressure, our police officers remained steadfast in their duties, enforcing the law strictly without fear. The HKSAR Government fully affirms and supports the professional performance and restraint of the Police.
The Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) convened a Special In-house Meeting last month (on 5 July) to pass a motion to conduct a fact-finding study on the several large-scale public order events that took place from 9 June 2019 to 2 July 2019 and the subsequent actions taken by the Police with a view to clarifying the facts, and to submit the report of the study to the Chief Executive. To perform its statutory functions, the IPCC will also make public the details of the report.
The Special Task Force of the IPCC has conducted working meetings with the Police and contacted media organisations to collect information from various sectors for analysis and consolidation, with a view to restoring the full picture of the incidents. As regards the many large-scale events that were held after 2 July 2019 and the related issues, the IPCC will maintain close communication with the Complaints Against Police Office. In mid-August, the IPCC will conduct an internal discussion on how to handle those incidents and announcement will be made on the way forward. The Police will co-operate with the IPCC in the latter’s fulfilment of its statutory functions. Frontline police officers and the Police Force Council Staff Associations will provide relevant information.
The spate of violent acts have had negative impact on economic activities in Hong Kong. Many shops in districts where the protests took place were closed during the processions. Some members of the business community also reflected that the public’s spending desire had obviously been dampened. Visitor arrivals have continued to drop since mid-July and the year-on-year decrease widened to 31% in early August. All these have seriously affected the business turnover and employees’ livelihood. It is worrying that, as of now, over 20 countries in total have issued travel advice for Hong Kong to remind their nationals to exercise increased caution when visiting Hong Kong. The sudden shrinkage of the tourism industry will have a wide and far-reaching impact on the industry itself and other relevant industries employing substantial numbers of workers, such as the retail, catering and transport industries. Coupled with the uncertainties in the external environment, Hong Kong will inevitably be hit by massive closures and layoffs if the deteriorating law and order situation cannot be curbed.
Facing both internal and external challenges, the Hong Kong economy is undergoing a cyclical downturn which will be around for some time. Compared with the cases of SARS outbreak and financial turmoil, the economic downturn is even more severe this time and will take a longer time to recover. The Government will formulate a package of measures to alleviate people’s hardship and assist enterprises under the policy of "supporting enterprises and safeguarding jobs".
With the Government’s commitment to effective governance, the Executive Council will resume its meeting on 13 August (Tuesday), which is earlier than the originally scheduled date of 27 August. Meanwhile, the Chief Executive, the Financial Secretary and I are having comprehensive consultations with different sectors of society for the new Policy Address, so as to draw on collective wisdom and grasp the pulse of society and the public.
During this extremely difficult time, the Government, while maintaining poise in the face of adversity, will stay united and work as a team to ensure that peace can be restored in Hong Kong as soon as possible. Let us join hands with all the people who love Hong Kong and say "no" to violence!
The prosperity and stability of Hong Kong today are attributed to the concerted efforts of generations of Hong Kong people who have displayed their tenacious vitality and the Lion Rock spirit to tide over difficult times and build a solid foundation for Hong Kong. We must cherish Hong Kong as well as everything we have today.
