Hong Kong formally withdraws extradition Bill

Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam speaks during a pre-recorded messaged aired on Sep 4, 2019.

The withdrawal of the draft legislation was one of the protesters' key demands. Lam had declared the Bill "dead" in July, but stopped short of withdrawing it.

Demonstrations have, however, evolved into a wider democracy campaign involving clashes between protesters and police, in the biggest challenge to China's rule of Hong Kong since its 1997 handover from the British.

Apart from the full withdrawal of the Bill, protesters also want a commission of inquiry into alleged police brutality in the handling of protests, as well as for Lam to resign.

The Hong Kong leader said at a press conference on Tuesday that she had no intention of stepping down, saying she had "not even contemplated" discussing her resignation with the Chinese government.

This was in contrast to an audio recording of her telling business leaders that she wanted to quit over three months of unrest in the semi-autonomous city.

Two men were in a stable condition in hospital on Sep 4 after Hong Kong police clashed with protesters overnight.

Riot police fired beanbag guns and used pepper spray - both anti-riot weapons - to clear demonstrators from outside the Mong Kok police station and in Prince Edward metro station, with one man taken out on a stretcher with an oxygen mask over his face, television footage showed./.

VNF/CNA