Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam speaks at a media briefing in south China's Hong Kong, Sept. 24, 2019. Lam said on Tuesday that she and principle officials of the HKSAR government will listen to the public with a sincere and humble attitude in Thursday's community dialogue so as to find a way out for Hong Kong. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai)
HONG KONG, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam said on Tuesday that she and principle officials of the HKSAR government will listen to the public with a sincere and humble attitude in Thursday's community dialogue so as to find a way out for Hong Kong.
At a media briefing before the Executive Council meeting on Tuesday morning, Lam said that more than 20,000 people had registered for the first session of the dialogue, and 150 of them would be selected by computer lot drawing.
"I deeply hope the dialogue will take place in a peaceful, rational and calm environment," Lam said, adding that "no matter how difficult it will be, the HKSAR government officials and I will continue with the community dialogue."
Lam said that besides open and direct dialogues with the public, she had held close-door meetings with small groups of people from different sectors to learn about their views in a in-depth way.
The HKSAR government will select particular groups from the public to talk about specific issues, and it is also considering other ways of communication such as online dialogue, she said.
Lam expressed gratitude to those willing to participate in the dialogues for their care for Hong Kong at such a difficult moment. She also hoped that the participants would work together to find a way forward for Hong Kong.
On the policy address to be delivered by the chief executive next month, Lam said that the HKSAR government's preparation work is ongoing, and different departments will announce respective new projects and measures in the coming days.
The chief executive reiterated that some radical protesters' recent acts of insulting the national flag were "unacceptable" and the HKSAR government would deal with the cases in a serious manner in accordance with law.
More than 1,500 people have been arrested in connection with illegal and violent acts in the past over three months, and many of them are aged below 18, Lam pointed out, deploring adolescents' involvement in illegal and violent activities.
"I appeal to parents, teachers and principals to help young students understand that in a society based on the rule of law, one must abide by law and can never violate law on the pretext of any political reasons," she said.
