Hong Kong's extradition bill "dead," says Carrie Lam

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Carrie Lam, leader of Hong Kong, said the controversial draft law that would allow extradition to China's mainland "is dead."

At a press conference on Tuesday, Ms. Lam said the government's work on the bill had been a "total failure."

But she stopped before saying that she had been completely withdrawn and the protesters promised to continue the mbad rallies.

The bill triggered weeks of unrest in the city and the government had already suspended it indefinitely.

"But there are still doubts about the sincerity of the government or concerns about the possibility of the government relaunching the process in the Legislative Council," Lam told reporters.

"So, I repeat here, there is no such plan.The bill is dead."

She had previously said the bill would "die" in 2020, at the end of the current legislature.

Those responsible for the protest reacted angrily to Ms. Lam's last attempt to appease them.

Bonnie Leung of the Civil Human Rights Front, who staged protests, said new protests will be organized until the Hong Kong government responds to five key demands. These include the complete withdrawal of the bill and the abandonment of charges against those arrested at recent protests.

Will that suffice?

By Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, BBC News, Hong Kong

Carrie Lam's statement certainly sounds emphatic, especially in English. "The bill is dead" does not leave much room for quibble. But it ignored the protestors' real demand that the widely criticized extradition bill be withdrawn immediately.

Instead, it pledges to let the bill stay in limbo until the end of the current legislative session. He will die by default.

The goal seems clear. Huge street protests in Hong Kong have been going on for a month. Sunday, more than 100,000 people took to the streets again. Even pro-Peking political party leaders have begun to question the suitability of Mrs. Lam's administration and the incompetence of her response.

Ms. Lam was once again forced to step back and admit that her government's attempt to pbad the extradition bill had been a "complete failure". The question now is: will it be enough?

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AFP

"The bill is dead is a political description and it is not a legislative language," Alvin Yeung, the lawmaker of the Civic Party, told the BBC, adding that the bill was still in the air. 39, stage of second reading.

"We do not know why the head of the administration refuses to adopt the word" withdraw ", he added.

Student activist Joshua Wong, a prominent figure in the protest movement, reiterated the demand for "formal withdrawal" from the bill and accused Ms. Lam of using the pun to "lie to the people of Hong Kong ".

Detractors of the legislation say it would undermine the judicial independence of the territory and could be used to target those who denounce the Chinese government.

Hong Kong, a former British colony, is part of China but is governed by a "one country, two systems" system that guarantees a level of autonomy.

It has its own judicial system and a legal system distinct from that of mainland China.

The demonstrations continued even after the government suspended the bill in mid-June, with several demonstrations becoming violent.

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On 1 July, protesters stormed into the central chamber of Hong Kong's parliament after a siege of several hours.

Many protesters are also asking Ms. Lam to step down.

• Young, radical and ready for tear gas
• The extradition bill explained

At the last street protests on Sunday, thousands of people descended on the streets of a prized neighborhood of mainland Chinese tourists, with the goal of explaining their concerns about the bill.