Hong Kong to withdraw China extradition bill

Hong Kong’s chief executive is to announce the formal withdrawal of a controversial extradition bill that sparked weeks of unrest, finally meeting a key demand of the protest movement.

Carrie Lam has called a meeting of pro-Beijing politicians for later on Wednesday afternoon, at which she will describe the full withdrawal of the bill as “a gesture… to cool down the atmosphere”, the South China Morning Post quoted a source as saying.

Lam has previously said the now-suspended extradition bill was “dead”, and promised it would not be revived in the current legislative term.

The news prompted a surge in Hong Kong stocks after it was also reported on the Cable TV news channel and other local media. A government source confirmed Lam would make the announcement later Wednesday.

Hong Kong has been experiencing near-daily protests for the better part of 14 weeks, as anger at a proposed new bill allowing extradition of criminal suspects to mainland China spiralled into a broader movement demanding greater democratic rights.

Via The Independent/SCMP