CE Blasts General Strike Plan Over Security Law

The Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Tuesday lambasted a call for a general strike by some groups over the new security law, saying she thinks the move would be against the interests of Hong Kong people when the city is facing economic recession.

"I do not believe that Hong Kong people welcome that sort of strike action when their greatest worry of many people is losing their jobs and facing difficulties in their daily living," she said ahead of the weekly Executive Council meeting.

An alliance of more than 20 labour unions and a students' group have planned to hold a referendum on Sunday to ask thousands of members whether holding a general strike would be a good way to protest against the law Beijing has announced for the SAR.

"We are definitely against any referendum ... that is not something within Hong Kong's political system or structure," Lam said.

Speaking exactly one year after about a million of people took to the streets to protest against her ill-fated bid to amend extradition laws in Hong Kong, the CE was asked whether she had regrets on how she handled the matter.

Lam said everyone in Hong Kong needs to "learn a lesson" from the challenges Hong Kong faced over the past year, including her cabinet and lawmakers, and people should know that Hong Kong cannot bear a chaotic situation and needs a calm and stable environment.

She also denied Beijing has changed its policy towards Hong Kong after a senior mainland official suggested the SAR needs to prove to the national parliament that it deserves to have the "One country, Two systems" principle continued after 2047.

"I can say, very categorically, that there is absolutely no change in the policies of the central authorities towards the HKSAR because that policy is enshrined through the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and repeatedly stressed by the leaders....and that is the successful, comprehensive and accurate implementation of One Country, Two Systems. And national security should be very much a core part of that," CE said.

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