Conceding to all demands of protesters won't help: Hong Kong official

Anti-government protesters wearing UK Premier League soccer t-shirts stage a protest at Victoria Park in Hong Kong, China, on Sept 18, 2019. PHOTO: REUTERS

Radical protesters in Hong Kong will not give up their struggle even if the government meets all of their demands, said Mr Bernard Chan, the top adviser to the city's leader.

While the more moderate pro-testers may be swayed by the government's moves to address social inequality - said to be the underlying reason for the unrest - their radical peers are unlikely to give up, said Mr Chan.

That is why the Hong Kong government does not see any benefit in conceding to more demands from the protesters, he said.

The protests - now into the fourth month - were triggered by an extradition Bill that would have allowed some criminal suspects to be sent to mainland China for trial.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has promised to withdraw the Bill, but protesters have continued to press on with their four other demands.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 19, 2019, with the headline Conceding to all demands of protestors won't help: Hong Kong official. Subscribe