Hong Kong extradition bill debate delayed amid protests

By Burak Bir

ANKARA (AA) - An extradition bill debate was delayed on Wednesday, as tens of thousands of protesters in Hong Kong blocked roads around the autonomous government’s headquarters, local media reported.

A meeting of Legislative Council (LegCo) of Hong Kong to debate on the extradition bill, which would allow suspected criminals to be sent to China for trial, was delayed due to the ongoing protests, according to South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong-based newspaper.

The Civil Human Rights Front movement has called on people to join the protest in large numbers.

Police have used pepper sprays and water cannons to disperse the protesters.

According to the daily, Nathan Law, one of the leaders of Umbrella Movement in 2014, called on people to unite.

“There are bound to be differences, but we have to learn to trust our comrades, learn to communicate with each other,” Law, who is also an ousted lawmaker, said in his speech.

The extradition bill will be voting in the assembly on June 20, announced previously.

The demonstrations are said to be the largest since pro-democracy Umbrella Movement rallies in 2014 when protesters used umbrellas to shield against pepper spray by police.

Hong Kong is governed through a dual system under which the government oversees internal affairs but foreign and defense policies are decided by China.