HONG KONG: Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam withdrew the extradition bill that triggered several months of violent protests on Wednesday.

Lam’s announcement came live on television. She said protracted violence was damaging the very foundations of the society, especially the rule of law.

She said that the government would formally withdraw the bill in order to fully allay public concerns.

Lam also pledged that Beijing would seriously follow up the recommendations of the report of the Independent Police Complaints Council.

She added that she along with her principal officials would reach out to the community to start direct dialogue form this month saying that they would now find ways to address the discontent in the society and look for tangible solutions.

The Hong Kong protests that began in March snowballed in June against the bill that would have allowed extraditions from Hong Kong to China where courts are controlled by the Communist Party.

However, it was not clear if the withdrawal of the controversial would help end the unrest in the financial hub.

The unrest led to the arrest of more than 1,000 protestors. (Agencies)