Hong Kong needs to end violence, as peace and stability indispensable for prosperity

That the sixth District Council election in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region attracted both a record number of candidates and a record turnout is testament to the vitality of the "one country, two systems" framework and Hong Kong society's evident belief that the city's future hinges on the lawful expression of opinions rather than mindless violence.

The rare lull in the campaign of violence and disruption conducted by radical elements in the SAR in the run-up to Sunday's voting and the record number of votes cast at the ballot box sent an unambiguous message that the majority of people in Hong Kong want to express their views peacefully and lawfully.

But while the remarks by Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, chief executive of the HKSAR, indicate her government is willing to take heed of these views, and is willing to reflect on them and respond to them so as to find a resolution to fulfill the wishes of the vast majority of the public for a peaceful, safe and orderly situation in the city, that seems not to be the case for those whose campaign of violence and intimidation threatened to scupper the election.