Hong Kong girded for another mass march against a China-backed extradition bill Sunday as the city's leader, Carrie Lam, faced new calls to withdraw the legislation after clashes between protesters and police.

The government may suspend the controversial bill to defuse tensions, local media reported. Lam was expected to announce Saturday that she will delay consideration of the extradition bill, Sing Tao Daily reported w ithout saying where it got the information. The chief executive took the decision after discussions with government officials last night, the newspaper said.

The Civil Human Rights Front, which organized a mass demonstration that drew hundreds of thousands of people into the streets last weekend, said it had applied for police permission to stage a similar event. The move comes as allies of Lam began questioning her tactics and lawmakers postponed debate on a controversial extradition bill until at least next week.