Teresa Cheng Also Apologises For Extradition Row

Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng has joined the list of top officials who have apologised to the people of Hong Kong over the trouble caused by the now-suspended extradition bill.

"Being a team member of the Government, I offer my sincere apology to all people of Hong Kong. We promise to adopt a most sincere and humble attitude to accept criticisms and make improvements in serving the public," Cheng wrote in her blog published on the department's website.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam and Security Secretary John Lee have already apologised to the public over the same issue. The government had suspended the bill, but protesters want the administration to announce a complete withdrawal.

After the bill was announced, several legal experts and lawmakers had proposed changes or alternate ideas to avoid the contentious bill. But then the government had rejected almost all of them, saying the bill was needed to plug what they described as a loophole in the system.

In her blog, Cheng said her department will continue contacts with legal scholars. "The Department of Justice will continue to maintain close contacts with the legal sector to exchange views on matters of mutual concern," she wrote.

The justice minister also said that the row has been a lesson for the administration. "Last but not the least, the government has learned a hard lesson, but we remain hopeful that the experience gained will help us work better to meet the public’s expectations in future," Cheng wrote.

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