Hong Kong postponed debate over a bill that would allow fugitives to be extradited to China after protesters thronged the streets of Hong Kong.

Iran Press/Asia:  Protesters staged a mass demonstration and blocked roads and restricted access to government buildings.

The Hong Kong legislative council was due to hold the second reading of the bill on Wednesday morning local time.

The decision to postpone the debate came as tens of thousands of protesters once again took to the streets of central Hong Kong in scenes reminiscent of the 2014 democracy demonstrations known as the Umbrella Movement.

The bill has been met with widespread opposition and prompted more than 1 million of the city's more than 7 million populations to take to the streets in protest from Sunday.

In a statement on its website, Legislative Council President Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen said Wednesday's meeting would be "changed to a later time to be determined by him."

Protesters began arriving outside the Legislative Council buildings on Tuesday night, where they were greeted by a heavy police presence and bag searches. By Wednesday morning, tens of thousands of mainly young people had arrived in the area, blocking streets and bringing central Hong Kong to a standstill.

Up to 5,000 police in riot gear have been deployed to guard the building. On Wednesday morning, police fired a water canon on a protester and used pepper spray on others.

Massive protests in Hong Kong

Protesters were seen wearing helmets, goggles and heavy-duty workman's gloves, and pulling bricks from the sidewalks.

Hundreds of businesses, parents and teachers called for a boycott of works and school on Wednesday to show their opposition to the bill.

Although Hong Kong is part of China, it has separate laws unlike mainland China. Many people fear that the proposed extradition law means they could be taken from Hong Kong by Chinese authorities for political or inadvertent business offences.

Despite the mass demonstrations, Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam has refused to withdraw the extradition bill, saying it is needed to plug loopholes to prevent the city from becoming a haven for mainland fugitives.

On Monday, she said safeguards had been added to the bill to protect human rights and had received no instruction from Beijing to push it forward.

"Hong Kong people are furious," senior Democratic Party lawmaker James To said Tuesday. "Our chief executive just ignored the people's voice, despite the peaceful rally of a million Hong Kong people." 213/211/205

 

Protesters mass demo postponed China extradition bill debate
Massive protests in Hong Kong