Hong Kong's Chief executive Carrie Lam on Tuesday said that the violent acts in the special administrative region these days have sent Hong Kong into "a very dangerous situation," vowing to stop violence with utmost determination and resolution.
Before presiding over a regular Executive Council meeting, Lam told the press that such violent acts were "lawless and bottomless" and completely disregarded law and order.
After the local government established an anti-mask law last Friday, masked rioters and vandals carried out severe and massive sabotage acts across various districts in Hong Kong, vandalising and paralysing the entire Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system that undertakes nearly five million trips of residents and visitors on an average day.
Thugs and villains also wrecked and looted selective stores that have a presence in or links with the Chinese mainland, beat up residents who disagreed with them and illegally blocked roads and intercepted vehicles to check their identity cards.
"Such acts have created massive and great panic, spread a sense of terror and made it difficult for Hong Kong to restore calm and order," Lam said.
After almost four months of violence, the vast number of Hong Kong residents have been hurt, with the retailing, catering and tourism industries that employ about 600,000 people being the hardest hit.
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Preliminary data showed that the number of tourists to Hong Kong dived 30 to 40 per cent in September in comparison to the same period of last year, while the number of visitors plunged more than half year-on-year during the first six days of October.
As violence and rioting escalated, many shopping malls and stores in Hong Kong were forced to close early in the past four months, with the occupancy rate of hotels falling by 28 per cent year-on-year in August.
Lam said the Hong Kong government will provide cuts in taxes and rents and offer unemployment allowance to those affected industries and residents.
She also called on the business communities, property developers and the society to do their part to help those affected to tide over the tough times together.