Hong Kong, June 12: Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Hong Kong on Wednesday, continuing their demonstration against a controversial “extradition bill” which permits criminal suspects in the territory to be extradited to mainland China for a court trial.
According to ANI news reports, protests broke as lawmakers were slated to address the second reading of the extradition bill alongside holding a debate over the matter.
Around 5,000 security personnel were deployed in the region, sealing the legislative council centre of Hong Kong, around which hundreds of demonstrators were holding a march.
About a million people took to the streets on Sunday, marking the largest march in nearly 15 years in Hong Kong, to protest against the draft bill which chief executive Carrie Lam, the region’s pro-China leader, has been long defending.
Previously, Lam has said, “This is a very important piece of legislation that will help to uphold justice and also ensure that Hong Kong will fulfil her international obligations in terms of cross-boundary and transitional crimes.”
On Monday, the protests adhere a violent aura as millions of demonstrators clashed with security forces around the city’s parliament.
Lam said, “I and my team have not ignored any views expressed on this important piece of legislation. We have been listening and listening very attentively.”
Critics believed the bill would leave anyone vulnerable to being held by the authorities of China on the city’s soil for inadvertent business offences and political reasons, according to Al-Jazeera news reports.