HK’s Lam meets ex-officials, pleads for end to deadlock

Bloomberg

Hong Kong’s beleaguered Chief Executive Carrie Lam called on protesters to break the deadlock gripping the city, after she held a meeting with former officials and other prominent people to find a way out of the impasse.
About 30 people were invited to the gathering at Government House on Saturday, including ex-transport chief Anthony Cheung and Cardinal John Tong, the former bishop of Hong Kong, RTHK reported. Lam said in a Facebook post that the meeting was not a “dialogue platform” but a gathering to share ideas on how to build one.
Hong Kong entered its 12th weekend of protests, sparked by Lam’s plan to introduce a law enabling extradition to places including China. They have since widened into a broader movement against Beijing’s increasing grip. Demonstrations have at times turned violent with police firing teargas and beanbag bullets, and have paralysed the city centre.
Lam said her proposal to build a platform for dialogue has caused skepticism and criticism.
“I do not expect dialogue to easily resolve the deadlock, stop demonstrations, or to provide solutions to problems,” she said. “But continuing to fight is not the way out.”
Protesters have made five demands: the extradition bill — currently suspended — is withdrawn; an independent inquiry is set up into police conduct during the protests; Lam must resign; the government must retract its characterisation of the violent clashes as “riots”; and people arrested in connection with the clashes must be unconditionally freed.
Lam said that the talks the government is advocating would include all sections of society and would “last a rather long period of time.”

China frees UK consulate staffer
Bloomberg

China released a UK consulate staffer from Hong Kong who was detained on the mainland, a case that raised concerns Beijing was trying to warn the British government against meddling in its former colony.
Simon Cheng, was set free on Saturday after being held in administrative detention for 15 days, police in the Chinese city of Shenzhen said in a post on the Weibo social media platform. While diplomatic tensions were likely to persist, Cheng’s release spares him the personal risk of a lengthy detention in China.
Cheng is employed by the UK consulate and works for Scottish Development International, which encourages firms to do business with Scotland. He failed to return home to Hong Kong from an earlier meeting in the adjacent Chinese city of Shenzhen.
Cheng was held for violating China’s Public Security Administration Punishment Law, the Shenzhen police said.
The law allows police to jail people without trial for up to 15 days for a wide range of relatively minor violations.
Cheng’s family earlier announced his return in a Facebook post on Saturday, and said he is taking time to “rest and recover.” The post was later removed, with no reason provided. “Simon is safe,” Max Chung, a friend of Cheng’s who organised a rally that sought his release, said.