Controversial extradition bill officially scrapped in Hong Kong

Hong Kong officially withdrew the disputed extradition bill on Wednesday. Due to this, protests were going on here for 20 weeks and political upheaval was created. According to the Hong Kong Free Press report, the move could be taken a week late due to protests during the Chief Executive’s address to the Legislative Council. The second reading of the bill was resumed on Wednesday. Security Secretary John Lee then urged the House to withdraw the bill.

In fact, a few months ago a bill was introduced in Hong Kong stating that protests or recidivists in Hong Kong would be prosecuted not in Hong Kong but in China, after which the protesters started taking to the streets which snowballed into massive public outrage. The protestors were not willing to accept anything less than independence.

Beijing is preparing a plan to oust Hong Kong’s chief executive Carrie Lam, according to a Financial Times report on Wednesday, nearly five months after the pro-democracy unrest in Hong Kong. The FT’s report comes at a time when the US House of Representatives recently passed a resolution against China over protests in support of democracy in Hong Kong.

This report says that Chinese President Xi Jinping has decided to go ahead with the plan to remove Lam. The report claims that she will be replaced by March. Not only this, it has also been mentioned in this report who will be the new Chief in place of Lam. The chief candidate includes Norman Chan and Henry Tang, former head of the Monetary Authority of Hong Kong. He has also served in the Hong Kong administration as Financial Secretary and Chief Secretary.