I Saw The Police State Myself, Says US Senator

US senator Josh Hawley has traded barbs with Chief Executive Carrie Lam and asked her to resign, after the Hong Kong leader accused him of making "irresponsible" and "totally unfounded" remarks about the SAR.

During his recent stay in Hong Kong, Hawley, who is one of the sponsors of a bill that calls for the sanctioning of officials who undermine people's rights in the SAR, said the city is sliding towards becoming a police state.

That attracted a sharp rebuke from Lam, who on Tuesday lashed out at Hawley and described the Hong Kong police as being a “highly professional and civilised force”. She also questioned how police in the United States would have reacted to protests like those in Hong Kong.

But in a Tweet, Hawley said he chose the words “police state” intentionally to reflect what he had witnessed.

“I chose the words “police state” purposely – because that is exactly what Hong Kong is becoming. I saw it myself”, he said.

“If Carrie Lam wants to demonstrate otherwise, here’s an idea: resign”