Carrie's Not Budging Again

Carrie Lam reiterated she would not meet protesters' five demands

This morning Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor made an appearance following the violent clashes in Kowloon over the weekend.

She admitted there was a stalemate in that the government would not accede to the protesters' five demands.

"It's not a question of not responding, it is a question of not accepting those demands," she said.

Police officers in one-on-one combat with protesters

People all over Hong Kong could be heard collectively banging their heads against the wall or table. My colleague did.

But Carrie, this is what people want! Lots of people from all walks of life, from students to medical staff to lawyers to accountants to civil servants and even top city leaders and politicians.

While she claimed the extradition bill was "abandoned", it has not technically been withdrawn which is what the people want, and in the Legislative Council, the bill has to be withdrawn. It cannot be "abandoned" or "dead".

When trust in her has plummeted so fast, the least she can do to recover some dignity and integrity is to withdraw the bill.

But no, she refuses to do so and refuses to explain why. It's as if she lives in a parallel universe where the people see things that she can't register at all.

The police have arrested 883 people since June

In her appearance before the media, Lam said she was disappointed to see peace was disrupted by violent protests this weekend and said the government would use the law to bring order into Hong Kong.

"All laws in Hong Kong -- if they can provide a legal means to stop violence and chaos -- the SAR government is responsible for looking into them," she said.

Meanwhile, former chief executive Leung Chun-ying seems to be taking the law into his own hands and wants to do something about these protests disrupting the city.

He has bought the domain name www.803.hk, where he advertises his tip line for people to call in to rat on protesters. And to motivate them he has also put "prices" in terms of what he would pay if someone comes forward with enough information to convict a protester.

"We come from different sectors of society, and we hope Hong Kong can return to calmness as soon as possible," the website says. "The rewards come from the public entirely and we will crowdfund in the future."

A website with a snitch hotline offers bounties for protesters

For throwing the Chinese flag into Victoria Harbour, he will pay between HK$200,000 to HK$1 million, covering the Chinese emblem at the liaison office for HK$1 million, the Bauhinia emblem in the Legislative Council on July 1 is worth HK$500,000 (why half the amount of the Chinese emblem?), and breaking into Legco HK$500,000.

Others include setting a fire at the Tsim Sha Tsui police station, causing chaos at Hong Kong International Airport, and the various incidents in Yuen Long, Wong Tai Sin, Sha Tin, Kwai Fong and North Point.

One reporter called the number to only hear an automated message asking the caller to leave contact details.

How successful will this snitch line be in settling the escalating crisis? Will people be tempted? Or there won't be enough information for a successful prosecution.

The Hong Kong police have already arrested 883 people since June, including a 12-year-old. Do we need more people in jail?