Hong Kong’s embattled leader, Carrie Lam, faced a hostile reception on Thursday night at the first of her series of public consultations on Thursday evening in an effort to defuse the city’s worst political crisis in decades. 

Ms Lam was grilled by 150 guests, selected by lottery out of 20,000 applicants for the event at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium in central Hong Kong. 

Many attendees who were allowed to speak called for an independent inquiry into the use of police force during the summer of protests. Speakers raised their fears about police handling of alleged triad attacks on protesters and fears of mistreatment of detainees at the San Uk Ling holding centre. 

Ms Lam admitted to a “disconnect” between Hong Kong residents and the government and vowed to rebuild their trust, reported the South China Morning Post. "This is not just a PR show but aimed to bring change" so Hong Kong can be a better territory, Ms Lam said.

She described the session, the first in a series of planned dialogues toward reconciliation, a "good first step."

But after two and half hours of consultation she faced accusations of doing too little too late and was unable of making any commitments beyond an agreement to conduct further talks.  

"To Hong Kong people, it’s a joke," said Bonnie Leung of the Civil Human Rights Front, which has organised several massive rallies. "If she really wants to communicate with Hong Kong people, all she has to do is to open her door, we are right outside."

Outside the stadium the mood was tense as thousands of protesters besieged the venue and chanted “five demands, not one less,” referring to a list of requests by the pro-democracy movement that include police accountability and pro-democracy reforms, including universal suffrage. 

In a town hall session that lasted longer than the scheduled two hours, Ms Lam conceded that “what happened in the last three months has broken many people’s hearts. "Like many in society, I hope chaos and violence can end swiftly.”

The Asian financial hub has been rocked by months of chaos sparked by a massive public outcry over a controversial extradition law that would have allowed criminal suspects to be transferred into China’s opaque justice system. 

Earlier this month Ms Lam finally scrapped the draft bill but the movement has since snowballed into a demand for greater freedoms that span from the release of those arrested during demonstrations to the city’s right to hold free and fair elections outside of the grip of Chinese control.

In a lengthy opinion piece in the New York Times on Thursday, Ms Lam said she expected “some harsh criticism” at the event.  

She added: “But I also hope to receive constructive suggestions to help this government meet the public’s expectations for a more inclusive and fairer Hong Kong.”

Ms Lam used the article to outline her plans to restore calm through economic policies, and pledged to uphold an independent judiciary and freedom of the press under China’s “one country, two systems” principle.

She also urged an end to violent protests and wanton vandalism.  “Deep wounds have been opened in our society. These will take time to heal. But it remains this government’s hope that conversation will triumph over conflict and that through its actions, calm can be restored and trust can be rebuilt within the community,” wrote Ms Lam. 

The chief executive was accompanied on Thursday evening by her secretaries for home affairs and constitutional and mainland affairs, her health minister and commerce chief. 

However, her options for meeting the pro-democracy movement’s demands are limited. 

On the eve of the dialogue, Song Ru’an, a deputy commissioner at the Chinese foreign ministry’s Hong Kong office, appeared to rule out further concessions to protesters beyond the withdrawal of the extradition bill. 

"Response does not mean concession," he said at a rare, three-hour briefing with foreign reporters, reported AFP. 

"It will be blatant political blackmail and coercion if anyone believes only acceptance of each and every demand of the opposition counts as response," he added.

Mr Song indicated that Beijing was not ready to give ground on the issue of universal suffrage, which lies at the heart of the city’s ongoing political unrest.

China remained committed to its plan for a limited form of universal suffrage but now was not the time to reintroduce it, he said.  "Forcibly advancing dual universal suffrage at such a moment will only invite more trouble," he said.