Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday expressed skepticism after a Hong Kong man who is wanted for murder in Taiwan said he is willing to turn himself over to Taiwanese authorities.
Chan Tong-kai (陳同佳), who is suspected of killing his pregnant girlfriend, Poon Hiu-wing (潘曉穎), in Taiwan in February last year before fleeing back to Hong Kong, said he would be willing to turn himself in to Taiwanese authorities once released from prison in Hong Kong.
Chan is serving a sentence in Hong Kong related to the theft of Poon’s possessions, and is scheduled to be released from prison tomorrow after his sentence was cut short because he made a plea bargain.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
Taipei on Sunday reiterated that it would not lift a recently imposed travel ban on Chan unless the Hong Kong authorities share more information about the case.
Chan would be free in Hong Kong once he is released, Su said, adding that “it goes against human nature” to suddenly express a willingness to face trial in Taiwan on murder charges.
Taiwan allows capital punishment for murder convictions, while Hong Kong does not.
The government has several times asked the Hong Kong government for mutual legal assistance regarding the case, only to be ignored by Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥), Su said, adding that the sudden change in attitude is “very weird.”
Amid protests sparked by a now-shelved extradition bill, Lam should communicate with the public instead of engaging in political manipulation, he said.
The government would enforce the strictest standards to safeguard national security and sovereignty, and not fall into any potential traps set by China, he added.
The Ministry of Justice and the Mainland Affairs Council have written several letters asking Hong Kong authorities to extradite Chan to face trial in Taiwan, but to no avail, National Security Bureau Director-General Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) said.
Chiu was answering lawmakers’ questions at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.
Hong Kong now offers to send Chan to Taiwan, more than a year after the crime, Chiu said, adding: “All this is quite dubious, prompting the government to take into account political considerations.”
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