- Title: Hong Kong, Taiwan authorities clash over fate of freed murder suspect
- Date: 23rd October 2019
- Summary: HONG KONG, CHINA (OCTOBER 23, 2019) (REUTERS) PRO-DEMOCRACY LEGISLATOR GARY FAN SITTING NEXT TO PLACARD MOCKING LEE ON DESK
- Embargoed: 6th November 2019 07:05
- Keywords: Taiwan row China Chan Tong-kai murder security Hong Kong John Lee Ka-chiu suspect
- Location: KINMEN, TAIWAN / HONG KONG, CHINA
- City: KINMEN, TAIWAN / HONG KONG, CHINA
- Country: Various
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA004B2BFX3B
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Taiwan and Hong Kong authorities clashed on Wednesday (October 23) over how to handle the voluntary surrender of a murder suspect who was just released from a Hong Kong jail.
Chan Tong-kai, a Hong Kong citizen, was accused of murdering his girlfriend in Taiwan last year before fleeing back to the Chinese-ruled financial hub. The case was used by the Hong Kong government to push forth a controversial extradition bill which was eventually scrapped after months of disruptive protests.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, speaking from the island of Kinmen, said that Taiwan would "take care of the matter" adding there was no such issue of Chan "surrendering himself, only a matter of arrest".
Taiwan has argued that his extradition without a legal assistance framework would damage Taiwan's sovereignty and put Taiwan under the "one China" framework.
In Hong Kong, Secretary for Security John Lee said during a legislative council session that Taiwanese authorities were obstructing the case for "political reasons" and Chan should be free to go to Taiwan and surrender himself.
Chan was arrested by Hong Kong police in March 2018 and authorities there were only able to find evidence against him for money laundering.
Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam reluctantly agreed to withdraw the extradition bill two-and-a-half months after anti-government protests escalated in June, although its formal withdrawal is unlikely to end the unrest.
(Production: Chantha Lach, Juarawee Kittisilpa, I-Hwa Cheng) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
