HONG KONG (AP) — The Latest on protests in Hong Kong against extradition bill (all times local):

Hong Kong's chief executive has met with her Executive Council as pressure mounts for her to delay or withdraw an unpopular extradition bill.

Carrie Lam, who was appointed by Beijing, is expected to speak with media later Saturday. TV networks showed members of the Executive Council, or cabinet, headed by car into a government compound.

Some Executive Council members have urged Lam to suspend debate on the bill, which would allow Hong Kong suspects to be tried in mainland China.

Another mass protest is expected Sunday after clashes turned violent on Wednesday, leaving about 80 people injured including 22 police officers.

Pressure on Hong Kong's chief executive Carrie Lam has been mounting, with signs emerging that she may delay an unpopular extradition bill that has drawn hundreds of thousands of people into the streets in protest.

Reports say Lam is expected to make an announcement Saturday after talks that continued late into Friday night. Another mass protest is expected Sunday.

The pressure on Lam to withdraw the bill is intense, with many protesters demanding she quit. The Beijing-appointed leader of the former British colony is caught between a public anxious to protect civil liberties and legal protections guaranteed when control of the territory was handed to China in 1997, and her Communist Party bosses.

Protests died down late in the week after clashes with police that turned violent on Wednesday. </s> HONG KONG -- Protesters in Hong Kong left the streets, averting possible clashes Monday after haggling for hours with police by moving to areas near the city's government headquarters.

The demonstrators who stayed after a massive protest march the day before, demanding that Chief Executive Carrie Lam abandon a proposed extradition bill, were seen streaming Monday morning into a space outside Hong Kong's Legislative Council after police who had cleared it reopened the area. Their decision to move allowed police to reopen streets to traffic.

The activists have rejected an apology from Lam for her handling of the legislation, which has stoked fears of expanding control from Beijing in this former British colony.

"We are very angry that Carrie Lam has not responded to the demands of all the protesters, but now is the time to talk about strategy, and talk about strategy is to how about how to make the whole struggle into a long-term struggle and not a day struggle, so if Carrie Lam does not respond to the five demands by the protesters, people will come back and the struggle will continue," said Lee Cheuk-yan, a former legislator and activist.

Shortly after daybreak, the police had asked for co-operation in clearing the road but said the protesters could stay on the sidewalks.

For a time, the protesters, many in masks and other gear to guard against possible use of tear gas, responded with chants, some kneeling in front of the officers.

Hundreds were lying or sitting on the roads until they agreed to move to the plaza outside the government building and a spacious nearby park.

Activists had called on Hong Kong residents to boycott classes and work, though it was unclear how many might heed that call.

Nearly 2 million of the city's 7 million people turned out on Sunday, according to estimates by protest organizers. Police said 338,000 were counted on the designated protest route in the "peak period" of the march. A week earlier as many as 1 million people demonstrated to voice their concern over Hong Kong's relations with mainland China in one of the toughest tests of the territory's special status since Beijing took control in a 1997 handover.

The scenes were similar to those seen nearly five years earlier, when protesters camped for weeks in the streets to protest rules that prevented the direct election of the city's chief executive, the top local official.

One of the activists arrested after those demonstrations, Joshua Wong, was released from prison Monday after serving half of a two-month jail sentence for contempt. He headed to join protesters gathered near Hong Kong's government headquarters soon afterward, and also called in a tweet for Lam to resign and for a halt to "all political persecutions."

After daybreak Monday, police announced that they want to clear the streets. Soon after, police lined up several officers deep and faced off against several hundred demonstrators on a street in central Hong Kong.

The night before, as protesters reached the march's end thousands gathered outside the city government headquarters and the office of Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who on Saturday suspended her effort to force passage of the bill.

Hong Kong residents worry that allowing some suspects to be sent for trial in mainland China would be another of many steps chipping away at Hong Kong's freedoms and legal autonomy. One concern is that the law might be used to send criminal suspects to China to potentially face vague political charges, possible torture and unfair trials.

The protesters are demanding that Lam scrap the proposal for good and that she step down.

Protesters are also angered over the forceful tactics by police use of tear gas, rubber bullets and other forceful measures as demonstrators broke through barricades outside the city government's headquarters to quell unrest during demonstrations on Wednesday, and over Lam's decision to call the clashes a riot. That worsens the potential legal consequences for those involved.

In a statement issued late Sunday, Lam noted the demonstrations and said the government "understands that these views have been made out of love and care for Hong Kong."

"The chief executive apologizes to the people of Hong Kong for this and pledges to adopt a most sincere and humble attitude to accept criticisms and make improvements in serving the public," it said.

Not enough, said the pro-democracy activists.

"This is a total insult to and fooling the people who took to the street!" the Civil Human Rights Front said in a statement.

Protesters have mainly focused their anger on Lam, who had little choice but to carry through dictates issued by Beijing, where President Xi Jinping has enforced increasingly authoritarian rule. But some were skeptical that having Lam step down would help.

"It doesn't really matter because the next one would be just as evil," said Kayley Fung, 27.

Many here believe Hong Kong's legal autonomy has been significantly diminished despite Beijing's insistence that it is still honouring its promise, dubbed "one country, two systems," that the territory can retain its own social, legal and political system for 50 years after the handover in 1997.

After Lam announced she was suspending the legislation to avoid more violence and allow additional debate, Chinese government officials issued multiple statements backing that decision. Lam, however, made clear she was not withdrawing it.

She has sidestepped questions over whether she should quit and also defended how the police dealt with last week's clashes with demonstrators.

Lam insists the extradition legislation is needed if Hong Kong is to uphold justice, meet its international obligations and not become a magnet for fugitives. The proposed bill would expand the scope of criminal suspect transfers to include Taiwan, Macau and mainland China.

So far, China has been excluded from Hong Kong's extradition agreements because of concerns over its judicial independence and human rights record.

Prosecutions of activists, detentions without trial of five Hong Kong book publishers and the illegal seizure in Hong Kong by mainland agents of at least one mainland businessman are among moves in recent years that have unnerved many in the city of 7 million. </s> HONG KONG — The Chinese government Monday voiced strong support for Hong Kong’s embattled chief executive, Carrie Lam, a day after yet another vast street protest against her government rattled the leadership in Beijing and the local political establishment.

The Foreign Ministry issued a forceful endorsement of Lam on Monday. Beijing’s representatives in Hong Kong called in dozens of local politicians and business leaders to urge them to support her. And the Chinese state media began praising Lam even as government censors assiduously tried to block word of the Hong Kong protests from reaching the public in mainland China.

But after three huge demonstrations over eight days, and her retreat on a proposal that would have allowed Hong Kong residents to be prosecuted in China’s opaque judicial system, it was unclear how long Lam would continue to govern.

The latest protest, on Sunday, was the largest yet, with a crowd that organizers estimated at almost 2 million in a city of 7 million people. While Lam had indefinitely suspended her push for the Beijing-backed extradition bill the day before, protesters still filled the streets, calling for her to withdraw the legislation instead of suspending it and demanding that she resign.

Lam, a lifelong veteran of Hong Kong’s fractious politics who was appointed chief executive two years ago, has refused to bow to the protesters’ jeering calls for her to quit. But democracy advocates in Hong Kong vowed to press on.

“Carrie Lam must step down,” said Joshua Wong, a student leader who, coincidentally, was released from prison Monday after serving a two-month sentence for refusing to leave a protest site in 2014 during a democracy push known as the Umbrella Movement.

“More and more Hong Kong people — not only 1 million, 2 million people — will come to join our fight until we get back our basic human rights and freedom,” he said.

In addition to calling for Lam to step down and fully withdraw the bill, the protesters — emboldened and angered after her partial concession Saturday — have called for an impartial investigation into the police use of force against demonstrators and for a rescinding of the official description of clashes with police Wednesday as an illegal riot.

Any resignation by Lam would prompt strong demands by democracy activists for her successor to be chosen in free and open elections. But the Communist Party leadership in Beijing, loath to allow any steps that might jeopardize one-party control on the mainland, is unlikely to let them be held.

Keith Bradsher and Amy Qin and New York Times writers. </s> In what appears to be a “stunning” and “unprecedented” victory for the leaders of Hong Kong’s massive protest movement (and a similarly unexpected capitulation from the city’s leaders), City Executive Carrie Lam announced on Saturday that her government would suspend the hated extradition bill “indefinitely,” leaving it unclear whether the legislation would ever be brought back.

The SCMP previewed the decision on Friday, but even then it seemed hard to believe, given the immense pressure Beijing has applied to Lam and her government to pass the bill, which would allow Hong Kong to extradite people who are wanted on the mainland. But the plan has faced unprecedented opposition both in Hong Kong and the US, where Congress has threatened to pass legislation diminishing Hong Kong’s status as an “independent” territory.

Lam has run the city since being installed by Beijing in 2017. The last popular protest movement in the country, the so-called ‘Umbrella’ movement of 2014, failed to stop Beijing from effectively pre-screening candidates for the city’s leadership.

Though it has been indefinitely suspended, Lam made it clear that she wasn’t killing the bill, and that it would be re-considered some day. She apologized for the rollout of the bill, and said that its benefits had not been clearly communicated to the public.

Lam said she felt “sorrow and regret” that she had failed to convince the public that it was needed, and pledged to listen to more views. – READ MORE </s> HONG KONG (AP) — The Latest on protests in Hong Kong against an extradition bill (all times local):

Hong Kong's police commissioner says only people who committed violence will be charged with rioting during clashes between police and protesters outside the legislature on Wednesday, in an apparent attempt to defuse widespread public anger over aggressive police tactics.

Stephen Lo Wai-chung on Monday defended the police response to the protests by tens of thousands of people as appropriate. It included the use of tear gas, rubber bullets and steel batons against protesters who removed barriers. He described the fracas as a riot, but said only five of 15 arrested people were accused of rioting, a serious charge that can result in a prison term of up to 10 years.

Another 17 people were arrested in the vicinity on lesser charges.

Protesters in Hong Kong have gathered outside the office of the city's leader, demanding that she resign for her handling of an unpopular extradition bill.

The mostly young demonstrators blocked a street Monday near the city's waterfront as they stood outside the office of Chief Executive Carrie Lam, chanting calls for her to give up the proposed legislation.

Lam has apologized for the crisis and suspended work on the bill, which would allow suspects to face trial in mainland Chinese courts.

Protesters are demanding that she scrap the bill and that authorities apologize for how police quelled an earlier demonstration, using tear gas, rubber bullets and other forceful means. They also want the government not to prosecute those involved, and to withdraw Lam's designation of the protest as a "riot."

A member of Hong Kong's Executive Council has said the city's leader plans to apologize again over her handling of a highly unpopular extradition bill.

Lam Ching-choi told reporters that Chief Executive Carrie Lam was sincerely sorry for mishandling the issue, which drew an estimated 2 million people into the streets in protest on Sunday.

He said Monday that the "number does tell the story. A lot of Hong Kong people don't think the government is thinking very seriously about the present issues."

He said Hong Kong's leaders made a "big mistake" in not consulting the public before proposing the legislation.

He said, "I believe she will communicate her apologies to the public in the near future."

Joshua Wong, a leader in Hong Kong's 2014 Umbrella Movement demonstrations, headed to join protesters gathered near Hong Kong's government headquarters after his release from prison.

After speaking to journalists who mobbed him as he left the correctional facility Monday, Wong laid flowers at a makeshift memorial outside a downtown shopping mall where a protester fell to his death Saturday night after hanging a banner on some scaffolding.

Wong's release came as protesters were still gathered near Hong Kong's government headquarters after a protest over an extradition bill promoted by Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam. Organizers said the march drew nearly 2 million people.

"Hello world and hello freedom. GO HONG KONG!! he said in a tweet. "Withdraw the extradition bill. Carrie Lam step down. Drop all political persecutions."

Wong served half of a two-month sentence for contempt related to his involvement in the 2014 protests advocating a more democratic elections process.

A former legislator says protesters are angry their demands are not getting a response from Hong Kong's leader and he sees their current mission as planning for the long term.

After a massive demonstration on Sunday, the remaining protesters who stayed overnight agreed to get off the roads and allow traffic to return to normal in the area Monday morning. They say the suspension of the extradition bill that set off the past week's demonstrations was not enough. They want the bill to be dropped entirely and for leader Carrie Lam to resign.

Former Hong Kong legislator Lee Cheuk-yan says the activists' mission has become a long-term struggle and not a daily struggle. "So if Carrie Lam does not respond to the five demands by the protesters, people will come back and the struggle will continue."

Joshua Wong, a leading figure in Hong Kong's 2014 Umbrella Movement demonstrations, has vowed to join the latest protests after he was released from prison.

Wong's release Monday came as protesters were gathered near Hong Kong's government headquarters after a protest on Sunday that organizers said drew nearly 2 million people.

He told journalists that he needed a bit of time but that "no matter what happens, I will join the protest soon."

Wong served half of a two-month sentence for contempt related to his involvement in the 2014 protests advocating a more democratic elections process.

The latest protests were set off by an extradition bill that would allow some criminal suspects to be sent to mainland China for trials. The legislation has been suspended but residents worry it is a sign of weakening judicial independence in Hong Kong.

Protesters in Hong Kong have begun leaving the streets and gathering near the city's government headquarters.

The demonstrators who stayed after a massive protest march the day before were seen streaming Monday morning into a space outside Hong Kong's Legislative Council after police who had cleared it reopened the area.

Their decision to leave major streets allowed police to reopen them to traffic, averting the possibility of clashes similar to those that broke out June 12, resulting in about 80 people being injured.

Activists were staging strikes and other smaller events Monday. There are demanding that Hong Kong Chief Executive scrap a proposed extradition bill that she has suspended under intense pressure from residents worried it would undermine legal protections in the former British colony.

Protesters in Hong Kong have refused police requests to clear the streets.

A policewoman using a loudspeaker asked them to cooperate Monday morning as police lined up several officers deep and faced them.

A woman in black speaking for the protesters responded with her own microphone. She said they were not blocking anyone from getting to work and would leave only after Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam came to hear them out.

Police removed some of the barriers protesters had set up but refrained from using force. The protesters later put the barriers back and remained.

They are among hundreds who stayed overnight after a huge protest Sunday against a bill that raised fears about China's control of Hong Kong.

Hong Kong police and protesters are facing off Monday morning as authorities try to clear the streets of a few hundred people who stayed near the city government headquarters after massive demonstrations that stretched deep into the night.

The police asked for cooperation in clearing the road. Protesters responded with chants, some kneeling in front of the officers. The move came after activists rejected an apology from the city's top leader for her handling of legislation that has stoked fears of expanding control from Beijing in this former British colony.

Nearly 2 million of the city's 7 million people turned out on Sunday, according to estimates by protest organizers. Police said 338,000 were counted on the designated protest route in the "peak period" of the march. </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Protests returned to Hong Kong streets following the suspension of the extradition bill

Nearly two million people have taken part in a mass protest in Hong Kong against a controversial extradition bill, organisers say.

If confirmed, it would be the largest protest in Hong Kong's history. Police said turnout was 338,000 at its peak.

The masses turned out despite the suspension of the bill - which would allow extradition from Hong Kong to mainland China - on Saturday.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Sunday apologised for proposing the bill.

Many protesters, who fear increased Chinese influence over Hong Kong, are calling on her to resign over the unrest.

They are also demanding that the bill be scrapped, not just suspended.

Meanwhile, supporters of Joshua Wong - the student leader who became the face of Hong Kong's "Umbrella Movement" democracy protests five years ago - say he will be released from prison later on Monday.

What happened at the protest?

"Today's march we had almost two million people," Jimmy Sham, from the Civil Human Rights Front protest group, told reporters late on Sunday evening.

The protest was mainly peaceful, with police officers reportedly holding back to allow the throngs of people to slowly pass through the city. This contrasted to scenes at the last previous major demonstration on Wednesday, which saw clashes between protesters and police that injured dozens.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Protesters have been demanding Carrie Lam's resignation

The demonstration began early in the afternoon in Victoria Square, with many wearing black.

Many held white flowers to mourn a protester who fell to his death on Saturday from a ledge, where hours earlier he had unfurled an anti-extradition banner.

The progress of the march was slow, as the large numbers of people blocked many streets and crowded train stations.

As darkness fell, protesters started to take over major roads and crossings and surrounded the legislative council building.

They carried placards that read "The students did not riot", in response to police labelling last Wednesday's student protests a riot - an offence punishable by up to 10 years in jail.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Timelapse footage shows the scale of Hong Kong protests on Sunday

There was scepticism among some protesters about Ms Lam's decision to suspend the bill.

"Carrie Lam has ignored the feelings of Hong Kongers," Mr Ma, a 67-year-old protester, told the BBC. He said Ms Lam had "acted like it was no big deal" after a reported million people marched last week.

"Secondly, we are marching for the students who were brutally treated by the police. We need to get justice for them."

Chloe Yim, 20, who had joined the protests for the first time, said: "If Carrie sees so many people come out, and still doesn't listen - she's being an autocrat who doesn't listen to people. Hong Kong people can't accept that."

'Too little too late'

Analysis by Helier Cheung, BBC News, Hong Kong

The government had hoped to reduce public anger by announcing a pause in the legislation on Saturday.

That has patently failed, as even bigger numbers - close to two million, according to the organisers, took to the streets.

For the chief executive, the demonstrations will have taken on a particularly personal bent, as protesters chanted "Carrie Lam - resign!" throughout during the day.

The government is now trying to strike a conciliatory tone - in a statement, it said it understood the protesters' views "have been made out of love and care for Hong Kong". It promised the chief executive would adopt a more "sincere and humble attitude" towards public criticism.

But this is too little, too late for many protesters, who insist they won't settle for anything less than the bill being completely withdrawn.

The scenes are reminiscent of 2003 - when half a million people protested against proposed national security legislation. The unpopular chief executive at the time, Tung Chee-hwa, resigned months later.

But even if Ms Lam resigns, there's no guarantee that protesters will be satisfied with whoever replaces her - especially as, under Hong Kong's political system, the leader is elected by a small panel filled with allies of the Beijing government.

What is the controversy about?

Hong Kong is a former British colony, but was returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" deal that guarantees it a level of autonomy.

The government had argued the proposed extradition bill would "plug the loopholes" so that the city would not be a safe haven for criminals, following a murder case in Taiwan.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC's Helier Cheung on why people are taking to the streets in Hong Kong

Critics have said the legislation would expose people in Hong Kong to China's deeply flawed justice system and lead to further erosion of the city's judicial independence.

Many fear the law could be used to target political opponents of the Chinese state. A large-scale march, which organisers said drew more than one million people, was held last Sunday.

On Wednesday tens of thousands gathered to blockade streets around government headquarters to try to stop the second reading, or debate, of the extradition bill.

There were clashes and 22 police and 60 protesters were injured. Authorities say 11 people were arrested. The police have been accused by some rights groups of excessive force.

Why the anger at Carrie Lam?

Much of the public anger has been directed at Ms Lam, the region's elected chief executive - who is firmly supported by Beijing.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption How Hong Kong demonstrators organised protests this week

Part of that anger comes from a tearful address after Wednesday's violence in which she labelled the protests "organised riots" – a label rejected by the hundreds of thousands of peaceful protesters.

Ms Lam remained hidden from public view for days, until her announcement on Saturday the she had heard the calls for her government to "pause and think". But she stopped short of saying the bill would be permanently shelved.

On Sunday, she followed this up with a statement apologising for "her government's work that has led to substantial controversies and disputes in society, causing disappointment and grief among the people".

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Carrie Lam expressed 'deep sorrow' over extradition law controversy

There has been speculation among analysts about Ms Lam's future amid the continued protests, but China's foreign ministry publicly backed her on Saturday.

Is Hong Kong part of China?

Hong Kong was a British colony from 1841, when China ceded the island to the British after the First Opium War - which had erupted over British traders smuggling opium into China. It remained a colony until sovereignty was returned to China in 1997.

It is now part of China under a "one country, two systems" principle, which ensures that it keeps its own judicial independence, its own legislature and economic system.

It is what China calls a special administrative region - enjoying a great deal of autonomy that has made it a key business and media hub in the region.

But it remains subject to pressure from mainland China, and Beijing remains responsible for defence and foreign affairs. </s> • Hong Kong residents staged a massive protest on Sunday over a bill that would allow courts to extradite Hong Kong residents in mainland China.
• Hong Kong is a semiautonomous region of China. Critics of the bill argue Hong Kong residents would be subjected to unfair trials and worse legal protections in the mainland.

Hundreds of thousands of residents took to the streets of Hong Kong Sunday in a largely peaceful protest against a bill that would allow residents to be tried in mainland China.

Organizers told The Wall Street Journal 1 million people showed up, or one in every seven residents. Police say 240,000 people showed up.

Critics of the extradition bill say residents would face China’s less transparent legal system. Beijing had previously allowed Hong Kong to keep its own legal system after the British left the colonized region in 1997.

Here’s the history behind why Hong Kong residents staged a mass protest on Sunday.

Hong Kong residents staged a massive protest on Sunday over a bill that would allow courts to extradite Hong Kong residents to mainland China for trial. Protest organizers say 1 million people walked the streets, while the police put the number at 240,000.

The extradition bill would allow officials to send suspected criminals to mainland China to be tried. Critics of the bill argue Hong Kong residents would be subjected to unfair trials and worse legal protections in the mainland.

Hong Kong is a semiautonomous territory in China. The British colonized the area for 150 years. Since handing back the territory to China in 1997, the two governments agreed to allow Hong Kong to retain its own legal systems until 2047.

Yet Beijing has tried to undermine Hong Kong’s sovereignty, resulting in various protests over the last decade. Another major protest happened in 2014 during the ‘Umbrella Revolution,’ when residents rallied against mainland plans to pre-screen Hong Kong leaders.

Human rights groups have expressed concern about China’s use of torture, capital punishment, and arbitrary detention within the legal system.

Critics of the extradition law also call out Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, for a lack of leadership over the unpopular legislation. Lam introduced the bill in February after a Hong Kong resident murdered his girlfriend in Taipei before fleeing back to his home city, and since tweaked the bill after pressure from the opposition.

Some critics from Hong Kong worry China has already begun overstepping on the city’s legal system. A Hong Kong billionaire mysteriously disappeared in January after being into custody in mainland China. A bookseller connected with publications that criticize the communist regime also went missing, before revealing he was taken into Chinese custody.

Source: The New York Times, The New York Times

“I needed to let my voice be heard,” protestor Kitty Wong told the Wall Street Journal. “We need to defend our home for the next generation.” </s> Organisers say almost two million people participated in a new protest through Hong Kong on Saturday against a controversial extradition bill. Police officials played down the numbers, putting the figure at approximately 240,000. Protestors rammed Hong Kong’s streets in the third mass march in a week against China’s proposed new law for the former British colony. Scenes were largely peaceful after riot police clashed with protestors in angry scenes on Wednesday as tensions ran high.

What is happening in Hong Kong? The protests are about a bill proposed by China to enable suspects to be extradited from Hong Kong to mainland China. Opponents to the legislation say suspects would face China’s opaque legal system, putting them at risk of an unfair judicial process. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam originally supported the move but was forced to back down after widespread anger was unleashed on the streets. READ MORE: SOUTH CHINA SEA TENSIONS SOAR AS BEIJING RIVAL PHILIPPINES PURCHASES MENACING NEW PLANES

She initially delayed the bill’s progress and then later suspended the plans, apologising for its creation on Saturday. Undeterred, protestors marched again on Sunday calling for the law to be scrapped rather than suspended. Joshua Wong, the imprisoned leader of Hong Kong’s 2014 Umbrella Movement, joined demonstrators after being freed and demanded Ms Lam’s resignation. He tweeted: “Hello world and hello freedom. GO HONG KONG!! Withdraw the extradition bill. Carrie Lam step down. Drop all political persecutions.” The bill is contentious as Hong Kong has long enjoyed democratic freedoms not available in mainland China, something people do not want to see changed. READ MORE: MH370 HEARTBREAK” FAMILIES IN BEIJING WERE TOLD MALAYSIA AIRLINES PLANE WAS ‘DELAYED’

Is Hong Kong part of China? How many people live in Hong Kong? Hong Kong is an island sat at the foot of China and is an autonomous territory to the mainland. When the British handed back Hong Kong to China in 1997, they did so on the understanding that it would be governed as “one country, two systems”. This means citizens were allowed to retain their democratic freedoms and judicial system for a further 50 years following the handover. READ MORE: NORTH KOREA’S SECRET WEAPON? KIM JONG-UN PREPARES TO SEND SISTER TO DMZ </s> Hundreds of mothers protest against the amendments to the extradition law in Hong Kong on Friday, June 14, 2019. Calm appeared to have returned to Hong Kong after days of protests by students and human rights activists opposed to a bill that would allow suspects to be tried in mainland Chinese courts. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

HONG KONG (AP) — Pressure on Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam was mounting Saturday, with signs emerging that she may delay an unpopular extradition bill that has drawn hundreds of thousands of people into the streets in protest.

Lam was expected to hold a news conference at 3 p.m. (0700 GMT), the government said in an announcement. It gave no details about what she planned to say.

Another mass protest was expected on Sunday, after clashes that turned violent on Wednesday, leaving about 80 people injured including 22 police officers.

The standoff between police and protesters in the former British colony is Hong Kong’s most severe political crisis since the Communist Party-ruled mainland took control in 1997 with a promise not to interfere with the city’s civil liberties and courts.

Lam, chosen by Beijing to be the highest-level local official, is caught between her Communist Party bosses and a public anxious to protect the liberties they enjoy as a former British colony.

Opponents want her to withdraw the bill, which would allow Hong Kong suspects to be tried in mainland China. She has said she won’t, and has the backing of leaders in Beijing. Many protesters are demanding she quit.

Protests died down late in the week, but around midnight Friday there were still dozens of youths singing and standing vigil near the city’s government headquarters, where demonstrators had tussled with police who deployed tear gas, pepper spray, hoses and steel batons as thousands pushed through barricades.

Police said 11 were arrested. Lam declared that Wednesday’s violence was “rioting,” potentially raising severe legal penalties for those arrested for taking part. In past cases of unrest, authorities have waited months or years before rounding up protest leaders. In April, nine leaders of a 2014 pro-democracy protest movement known as the “Umbrella Revolution” were convicted on public nuisance and other charges.

Lam was facing calls from both outside and within her government to delay the extradition legislation that has spurred the protests.

Some members of the Executive Council, Hong Kong’s cabinet, said she should perhaps rethink plans to rush the bills’ passage. A group of former senior government officials issued a public letter urging her not to force a confrontation by pushing ahead with the unpopular bills.

Many in Hong Kong fear the measures would undermine the former British colony’s legal autonomy.

More than 1,000 people joined a peaceful “mother’s protest” Friday evening in a downtown garden.

Adding to tensions, the extradition bill has drawn criticism from U.S. and British lawmakers and human rights groups, prompting Beijing to lash back with warnings against “interference” in its internal affairs.

It is unclear how the local leadership might defuse the crisis, given Beijing’s strong support for the extradition bill and its distaste for dissent — and for foreign pressure.

Many experts believe Lam might be obliged to step down, assuming responsibility for the uproar the bill has raised.

Anson Chan, a former chief secretary for Hong Kong, said Lam still could keep her post if she backs down.

“What the people are attempting to tell is that we are very worried about the consequences of passing the extradition bill, because no one will feel safe, even in their own beds, after passage of this bill,” Chan said in an interview.

“It places everybody’s individual freedom and safety at risk,” said Chan, who as chief secretary was the top local civil servant under former British Gov. Chris Patton.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam announces that the government has suspended its plan to allow extraditions to mainland China.