HONG KONG — Last week in Hong Kong, on the politically sensitive anniversary of the city’s return to China, a man stabbed a police officer on a busy commercial street, then killed himself. Then, on Tuesday, the police said they had arrested nine people — including six teenagers — and accused them of plotting to make bombs and plant them in courtrooms, railways and other public areas. In a city besieged by political turmoil, the authorities cast the incidents as terrorism and proof of the threat posed by some parts of the opposition. They said the episodes underscored the necessity of a national security law Beijing imposed last year, and they have suggested that even stricter measures may be required. “These show that ‘black violence’ has transformed from actions conducted by a crowd on the ground, to hidden, individualized acts,” Carrie Lam, the city’s chief executive, told reporters on Tuesday of the recent developments.

Source: International New York Times July 06, 2021 12:00 UTC