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Hong Kong Leader's Town Hall Fails to Persuade Protesters

Associated Press

   HONG KONG - Hong Kong's beleaguered leader Carrie Lam faced her public
   with humility, but she may not get the response she hoped for.

   In a face-off with an antagonistic audience, Lam quietly took blow
   after blow as citizens at a town hall session Thursday vented anger at
   her refusal to give more concessions to end more than three months of
   anti-government protests that have rocked the semi-autonomous Chinese
   territory.

   After the dialogue ended, Lam remained in the building for another four
   hours to avoid confrontation with angry protesters outside and left
   only after most of them dispersed.

   But analysts say Lam's hope of using the community engagement to buy
   some goodwill that will diffuse tensions ahead of rallies planned this
   weekend in the lead-up to Oct. 1 celebrations of China's National Day
   is unlikely to succeed.

   "Carrie Lam showed some sincerity," said Willy Lam, an adjunct
   professor at the Center for China Studies at Hong Kong's Chinese
   University who is not related to the Hong Kong leader. "She sat through
   more than two hours of humiliation and demonstrated at least
   willingness to hear radically different views. She has the guts to face
   opposition but still it's not good enough."

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