Complaints continue despite Hong Kong apology

Hong Kong Hong Kong citizens walked for hours yesterday during a mbadive protest, after which the executive director apologized for the way she handled a law that raised fears that Beijing will increase its control over the former British colony. According to the calculations of the organizers, nearly two million of the seven million inhabitants of the city went to protest. Police counted 338,000 people on the march route during its "most critical moment".

Last week, a million people gathered to express their concern over Hong Kong's relations with mainland China during one of the most difficult tests for the official status of the territory since Beijing's takeover. in 1997.

Late in the night, the crowd gathered in front of the police station and the office of the chief executive, Carrie Lam.

On Saturday, Lam put an end to his efforts to obtain the approval of the measure, which would have allowed some suspects to be tried in China.

Backward?

This decision has not satisfied the people of Hong Kong, who are unhappy with the plan and see it as a new step to undermine Hong Kong's freedoms and legal autonomy.

Critics fear the law will be used to send suspected criminals to China, where they may face ambiguous political accusations, torture and unfair trials.

Protesters are also unhappy with the use of the police force to restore peace at a protest on Wednesday.

The slogans of the dissatisfied in front of the local police took a tone more and more frequent, until they resonate in the narrow streets of the red zone of Wan Chai.

Smaller groups shouted slogans in front of Lam's office.

In a statement released yesterday, Lam mentioned the protests and said the government "understands that these views have been published out of love and compbadion for Hong Kong".

"The Executive Director apologizes to the people of Hong Kong and is determined to adopt a sincere and humble attitude to accept criticism and improve service to the public," he said.

This is not enough, said the activists of democracy. "It's a total insult and a disappointment for the people who took to the streets!", Said the Civil Front for Human Rights in a statement.

Delete project

The protesters want Lam to abandon the extradition plan, which has the support of the Communist leaders in Beijing, and resigns.

The crowd completely occupied a major street and streets adjacent to Victoria Harbor, in front of tourists and shoppers, engines of the Asian financial center's economy.

Some protesters were skeptical about the possibility of Lam's resignation.

"It does not really matter, because his successor would be just as bad," said 27-year-old Kayley Fung.

"We do not want to see a Tiananmen in Hong Kong," said retired college professor Dan Yiu, as he struggled to get his granddaughter's basket through the crowd .

"If China is to take full control of our territory in the next 28 years, we want it to slow down at least not at this speed," Yiu said.

* AP Agency