HONG KONG -- Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam refused to offer any concessions to anti-government protesters despite a local election setback, saying today that she will instead accelerate dialogues and identify ways to address societal grievances.
Lam said the central government in Beijing didn't blame her for the election outcome. Nearly 3 million voters cast their ballot in a record turnout that gave the pro-democracy bloc a landslide victory with 90% of seats and control of 17 out of 18 district councils.
The low-key race was viewed as a barometer for public support for more than five months of pro-democracy protests.
Lam said Sunday's election may have reflected unhappiness with the government handling of the unrest but it also showed that many people want a stop to violence.
In early September when she withdrew an extradition bill that sparked the unrest, Lam said she had also given a detailed response to protesters' other demands including free elections for the city's leader and legislature, as well as a probe into claims of police brutality.
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She said the government hopes to take advantage of the current lull in violence to implement measures listed then, including accelerating public dialogue and setting up an independent review committee to identify deep-seated societal issues to find a way out.
"The next step to go forward is really, as you have put it, to engage the people. And we have started public dialogue with the community. But unfortunately, with the unstable environment and a chaotic situation, I could not do more on that sort of engagement. I hope that the environment will allow me to do it now," she said.
"Let me just stress that after these five-six months, Hong Kong people have realized very clearly that Hong Kong could no longer tolerate this chaotic situation," she said. "Please help us to maintain the relative calm and peace that we have seen in the last week or so and provide a good basis for Hong Kong to move forward."
Some pro-establishment figures have pointed fingers at Lam for their loss, while the pro-democracy camp has asked her to step down.
Beijing, which blames foreign powers for fomenting the unrest in Hong Kong, has showed no signs that it might soften its stance on the former British colony, which was returned to China in 1997.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters during a visit to Tokyo that Hong Kong will always be part of China, no matter the election outcome.
"Any attempts to destroy Hong Kong or harm Hong Kong's stability and development cannot possibly succeed," he said.
But the results will add new pressure on Lam.
"I would say directly to Carrie Lam, do not squander this opportunity. Don't waste this chance ... the window has been opened for you," said British politician David Alton, one of the independent election monitors.
A record 71% of Hong Kong's 4.1 million registered voters cast ballots in the city's only fully democratic elections, well exceeding the 47% turnout in the same poll four years ago.
The largest pro-establishment political party suffered the biggest setback, with only 21 of its 182 candidates winning. Its chairwoman, Starry Lee, said the government must review its response to the crisis and do more to heal the divisions in society.
Many pro-Beijing political heavyweights were trounced, including controversial lawmaker Junius Ho, who is reviled by protesters for supporting a bloody mob attack on demonstrators in July. Ho was stabbed with a knife during campaigning this month.
The winners included many youth activists and a candidate who replaced activist Joshua Wong, the only person barred from running in the election. Protest rally organizer Jimmy Sham, who was beaten by hammer-wielding assailants last month, also triumphed, as did a pro-democracy lawmaker who had part of his ear bitten off by an assailant.
More than 5,000 people have been arrested in the unrest that has contributed to Hong Kong's first recession in a decade.
Supporters from both sides of the divide hope the election will pave a peaceful way out after months of pitched battles between protesters and police, capped by a university siege this month. An estimated 30 protesters, fearing arrest, are still hiding inside the Polytechnic University.
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Riot police blocked hundreds of activists from advancing into the campus Monday evening, and a pro-democracy supporter appealed for calm. They want an end to the police siege but police said they will send a team of negotiators into the campus to find and coax the holdouts to surrender.
Sunday's victory will see the pro-democracy camp secure 117 seats in the 1,200-member pro-Beijing panel that elects the city's leader. It will bolster their influence, as the bloc usually has over 300 supporters on the panel but still falls short of the majority.
A Section on 11/26/2019