We can deal with protests ourselves: Chief Executive of Hong Kong Carrie Lam

Lam, however, dodged a question over whether her administration would use emergency legislation to curb the ongoing protests in the city.

The Emergency Regulations Ordinance grants the city’s leader and her council of advisors the power to “make regulations on occasions of emergency or public danger.” Local newspaper Sing Tao Daily cited sources saying that the government was considering using emergency legislation given the increased risk of casualties after a weekend of escalated clashes, reported Hong Kong Free Press.

“As of today, the Hong Kong government is still confident that we can deal with this two-month-long social dispute ourselves, and I believe that it is also the hope of the general public ⁠— that we deal with it ourselves. The best basis for this is the rule of law,” Lam was quoted as saying by Hong Kong Free Press as she spoke to the media before her regular Tuesday meeting with the Executive Council.

“All of Hong Kong’s laws, if they can provide a rule of law measure to stop violence and chaos, the government has a responsibility to examine them,” she added.

According to a South China Morning Post report, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor also admitted the crux of the political stalemate lay with the government’s refusal to meet protesters’ demands.

Hong Kong Police had said 36 people have been arrested over what it dubbed "violent protests" by pro-democracy activists which broke out in the region on Sunday again where cops even resorted to gunshot and use of water cannons to bring the situation under control.

This was for the first time since June when the protest- which often witnessed gatherings like "flash mob” in a place for a short time before they disperse- that gunshot was fired by police to bring the protesters under control  

Why is the protest going on?

According to BBC report, the protests were sparked by a now-suspended extradition bill that would have allowed Hong Kong to send criminal suspects to China for trial, but they have grown into a broader movement calling for democratic reform in the territory and an investigation into alleged police brutality against protesters.

Protests have also taken place at Hong Kong International Airport and other tourist spots in the city.

The protests are a big challenge to Chinese President Xi Jinping who assumed power seven years ago.

The protesters say they are fighting to preserve the “one country, two systems” arrangement and a promise of freedom under which Hong Kong was returned to China as a specially administered region by the British 1997.