Hong Kong CE appeals to set aside differences, opposes violence

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor appealed to the public on Tuesday to calm down, set aside divergence on political issues and jointly oppose escalating violence that is pushing the city into "the abyss of destruction".

The leader of the special administrative region made the remarks before a weekly meeting of the Executive Council, her top policy advisory body.

The meeting was resumed two weeks ahead of the end to its summer recess, as Lam considered more assistance is needed in Hong Kong's difficult time.

In a trembling voice, Lam called on the public to take a second to reflect and look at the city which has been torn apart since June 9 under series of protests that saw radicals clash with riot police and turned residential and business areas into conflict zones.

Lam said the violent and non-cooperative protests have led the city into a very flustered situation, where people couldn't go to work on time, and refrained from going outside on the weekend due to the unpredictability of protests.

"The top priority now is to oppose violence and safeguard the rule of law," Lam said. "Rational discussions will start after the city's law and order is restored. And that's when we can mend what has been rifted."

"The Chief executive's responsibility is that Hong Kong remains a safe and law abiding city. Because without the rule of law, without law and order in Hong Kong, it is extremely difficult for the 7 million people in Hong Kong to live in peace and order," Lam said.

The city has seen large-scale protests across the city in the past week. This included obstruction of public transportation and major roads, violent clashes with police in multiple locations, and unlawful demonstrations in the airport which forced  all flights to be canceled after 3:30 pm on Monday.