HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam faced calls from both outside and within her government Friday to delay extradition legislation that has spurred massive protests.
Some members of the Executive Council, Hong Kong’s Cabinet, said she should perhaps rethink plans to rush the bills’ passage. Meanwhile, a group of former senior government officials urged her not to force a confrontation by pushing ahead with the unpopular bills, which would allow Hong Kong suspects to be tried in mainland China.
“It can be said the government perhaps should consider other options,” said Bernard Chan, a leading member of the Executive Council. He said a delay might be one possibility.
One of the legislature’s pro-Beijing members, Michael Tien, said on Facebook that the bill was unneeded. “We’re the laughing stock of the world,” he said.
Many in Hong Kong fear the measures would undermine the former British colony’s legal autonomy.
As of Friday afternoon, more than 30,000 people had signed a petition protesting the use of force by police during violent clashes with protesters on Wednesday.
More than 1,000 people joined a peaceful “mother’s protest” Friday evening in a downtown garden. Speakers at the rally called for Lam to step down.
Authorities were bracing for more protests over the weekend.
The standoff between police and protesters is Hong Kong’s most severe political crisis since the Communist Party-ruled mainland took control in 1997 with a promise not to interfere with the city’s civil liberties and courts.
It has also drawn criticism from U.S. lawmakers and human rights groups, prompting Beijing to lash back with warnings against “interference” in its internal affairs.