China blames ‘foreign forces’ for mass protests in Hong Kong
BEIJING: "Foreign forces" are trying to hurt China by creating chaos in Hong Kong over an extradition Bill that has prompted mass protests, an official Chinese newspaper said yesterday.
Hundreds of thousands jammed Hong Kong's streets on Sunday to protest against the Bill in the biggest demonstration in years. Many said they feared the Bill would put the city's vaunted legal independence at risk.
Organisers said there were more than a million protesters, although police put the number at about 240,000.
The China Daily said in an editorial that the Bill was much-needed legislation.
It added:"(Hong Kong residents) have failed to realise that the opposition camp is using them merely as pawns in its manoeuvres to reap political gains by damaging the SAR government's credibility and reputation, or that some foreign forces are seizing the opportunity to advance their own strategy to hurt China by trying to create havoc in Hong Kong."
It did not say who those foreign forces might be.
Human rights groups have repeatedly cited the alleged use of torture, arbitrary detention, forced confession and problems accessing a lawyer in China. - REUTERS
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