Carrie Lam, the leader of China's semi-autonomous Hong Kong region, has announced that she is withdrawing legislation that has been protested by millions for months.
Lam also stated that an investigative committee would be formed to investigate the causes of social unrest and to come up with possible solutions.
The bill, which would have allowed the extradition of suspects to China to be tried under the mainland's opaque judicial system, prompted the start of mass protests in June that have led to increasingly violent confrontations with police and the arrest of more than 1,000 people.
"Our citizens, police, and reporters have been injured during violent incidents," Lam said. “There have been chaotic scenes at the airport and [mass transit railway] stations; roads and tunnels have been suddenly blocked."
"For many people, Hong Kong has become an unfamiliar place," she added.
The protesters demanded the withdrawal of the bill, as well as the establishment of an independent committee to investigate police violence against activists, amnesty for arrested protesters, and the resumption of political reforms.
Hong Kong is a former British colony governed under the principle of "two systems, one state".
This semi-autonomous region was re-dominated by China on 1 July 1997 after Britain's colonial rule beginning in 1842. (ILKHA)