Chris Patten Echoes Call For Commission Of Inquiry

Hong Kong’s last governor, Chris Patten, says a commission of inquiry into the extradition bill saga would be an important step towards reconciliation – echoing the call by prominent figures in the community who say the Carrie Lam government should set up such a body.

“I think as well as making it absolutely clear that the extradition bill is dead and buried, there really is a powerful case… for a commission of inquiry, with perhaps an immediate remit to report on what happened in Yuen Long and at the end of the demonstrations on Sunday,” he said.

He told RTHK’s Richard Pyne that there’s plainly an argument for looking very clearly at the way demonstrations have been policed, why they have sometimes got out of hand, and “above all now the involvement of triads in beating up innocent citizens in Yuen Long".

He said he shared the anxieties of friends in Hong Kong when witnessing the violent scenes from last Sunday.

But even though the political turmoil has dragged on for weeks, Lord Patten said he did not think things would have become that bad.

He said Hong Kong is well policed, in the sense that there are a lot of police.

“That makes it all the more surprising they weren’t able to stop the people who got into the Legislative Council the other day, nor that they were available to stop innocent citizens being beaten up on their way home by thugs," he said.

“It’s a surprise that despite the fact there’re quite a lot of police officers in Hong Kong, nobody seemed to see that coming or be able to do anything to stop it.”