The suspect in a murder case that led to anti-extradition demonstrations in Hong Kong could soon walk free.
When Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥) in February proposed amending the extradition law, she cited the case of Chan Tong-kai (陳同佳), who was wanted in Taiwan in connection with the murder of his girlfriend, Poon Hiu-wing (潘曉穎), in February last year.
Chan in April was sentenced by a Hong Kong court to 29 months in prison for money laundering after he used Poon’s bank card to make ATM withdrawals, but no legal framework exists for him to be extradited to Taiwan to face the murder charges.
Chan could be released as early as next month for good behavior, Hong Kong Secretary for Security John Lee (李家超) said in April.
E-mails sent to Lee and his department went unanswered.
“This administration has all the reasons to bring Chan to justice — not only was his alleged conduct serious and lethal, but also it was this administration who presented the victim’s mourning family as a moral motive to push the now-withdrawn extradition bill,” said Hong Kong Legislator Alvin Yeung (楊岳橋), a barrister and democracy advocate. “Now the chief executive has abandoned the murder case and the victim’s family.”
E-mails to Chan’s lawyer and the office of Hong Kong Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng (鄭若驊) went unanswered.
“I suppose he will be a free man, but I doubt he can stay in Hong Kong with such attention on his every move,” said Hong Kong Non-official Convenor of the Executive Council Bernard Chan (陳智思), a top adviser to Lam.
Taiwanese officials made requests to Hong Kong for judicial assistance in March and April last year, and in December last year asked that the suspect be sent to Taiwan for investigation, Chiu Chih-hung (邱智宏), deputy chief prosecutor at the Taipei Shilin District Prosecutors’ Office, said on Monday.
They received no reply, he said.
The administration of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has since made it clear that it would not agree to the extradition bill, which it said could infringe on its sovereignty.
Lam’s proposed bill sparked protests because it would have permitted the extradition of criminal suspects to China, opening the possibility that Hong Kongers would be subject to the mainland’s laws.
In the 1984 joint declaration, Britain and China agreed among other things that the territory would follow English common law under a “one country, two systems” arrangement for 50 years.
Poon’s family has lobbied the Hong Kong government to return Chan to Taiwan to face justice.
Poon’s mother in February appeared in front of the media in a baseball hat, mask and sunglasses to urge the Hong Kong government to take action.
While the parents initially backed the plan for an extradition bill, after the protests erupted Poon’s father in a letter dated June 26 urged Lam to consider a one-off extradition or other measures, instead of introducing the new law, news Web site hk01 reported.
Both Lam’s office and Poon’s family declined to comment on the report, hk01 said.
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