Fri. Mar 29th, 2024
Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad

Kuala Lumpur [Malaysia], Oct 4: Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Friday said embattled Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam should resign over escalated violent anti-government protests in the city and cautioned China would pursue harsh actions to put an end to the demonstrations, if needed, just like bloody 1989 Tiananmen Square military crackdown on dissenters.

The pro-democratic protests erupted in Hong Kong before four months in the wake of a controversial extradition bill that would allow suspects in the city to be sent to mainland China for court prosecution.

Anit-government protesters are taking to the streets of suburbs in the Chinese-ruled territory, throwing petrol bombs, blocking roads, setting fires, vandalizing few shops and metro stations, clashing with Hong Kong police, who are firing water cannons and tear gas against them in efforts to disperse them.

Claiming that Lam “is in dilemma”, Mahathir told a media conference: “She has to obey the masters, at the same time she has to ask her conscience. Her conscience says that the people of Hong Kong are right in rejecting the (extradition) law.”

He said Lam knows the consequences of rejecting the bill, adding, “For the administrator (Lam), I think best thing is to resign. In reference to bloody 1989 Tiananmen Square military crackdown on protesters in efforts to disperse them, the Malaysian prime minister said: “I think in the end, that is what China will do (in Hong Kong).”

On Friday, Lam announced the mask ban at an afternoon media conference, banning Hong Kong protesters from wearing masks while demonstrating in the city.

Hours ahead of Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam’s mask-ban announcement on Friday, thousands of anti-government protesters wearing masks took it to the streets to demonstrate, calling for greater democracy.

The ban followed widespread civil unrest in the city on Tuesday – when China celebrated its 70th anniversary of Communist Rule, which also include a teenager getting shot by riot police in the chest during the clash between anti-government protesters and Hong Kong police.

Hong Kong police extricated rules on the utilization of forces police officers should use in the run-up to mass demonstrations on October 1, giving them more prominent capacity to manage dissidents in troublesome circumstances, as per records seen by Reuters.

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