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SCMP Reporter

Move to extradite crash driver  as piling-case row simmers

Australian police want to extradite a man from Hong Kong over  a drag-racing crash that killed  two  people last year, amid a row over Australia's refusal to surrender two nationals wanted for trial in the Tung Chung short-piling scandal.

The decision whether to apply for extradition rests with Australian Justice Minister Chris Ellison.

It was Senator  Ellison who sparked a diplomatic protest by refusing to extradite David Hendy, 42, and Carl Voigt, 46, to Hong Kong or  to offer an explanation for his decision.

Police in Western Australia want to extradite Ronald Wong Ting-pan, 24, who fled the country about two weeks after the Perth accident in which his two passengers, Singaporeans Joscelin Toh and cousin Erica Toh, died. Wong was in Australia on a student visa.

Lachlan Harris, a spokesman for shadow minister for homeland security Robert McClelland, said yesterday the opposition was concerned that Senator Ellison had undermined the extradition relationship between Hong Kong and Australia.

'We believe Australia and Hong Kong, in the past, had a very strong extradition relationship,' he said.

'What we've called on Ellison to do is to ensure that his decision hasn't undermined the strength of the relationship between Hong Kong and Australia.

'We think it's clear Ellison has not successfully done that, and he should immediately begin the process  ... via opening up a dialogue.'

Senator  Ellison's refusal to hand over Voigt and Hendy was revealed by the Sunday Morning Post in October.

Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee Siu-kwong lodged an unprecedented diplomatic protest  in May, conveying  'strong concern and disappointment' at the minister's refusal to sign orders granted by an Australian court to extradite Voigt and Hendy.

A week after the protest, the minister approved the return of a Chinese man, Ng Ship-ping, to Hong Kong to face 25 charges of accepting kickbacks and commissions from suppliers while working for Customs Accessories Asia.

According to a report in the West Australian newspaper, Wong was driving a heavily modified Lexus  at an estimated speed of 140km/h when he lost control, ran off the road, snapped a power pole in half and cut a tree off at its base.

Wong spent a week in Royal Perth Hospital. He refused to be interviewed by police and left Australia for Hong Kong a week after he was discharged from hospital.

Perth police were not in a  position to lay charges against Wong immediately after the accident, according to the newspaper report. He had led them to believe he would stay in Perth.

A spokesman for Hong Kong's Department of Justice said on Friday that Senator Ellison's refusal to hand over the two Australians would not jeopardise the extradition relationship.

'The two cases are separate. We hope they will not affect our relationship with Australia,' he said.  'We will try our best to co-operate and go through all the necessary procedures.'

Legco security panel chairman James To Kun-sun agreed that the previous incident should not have any impact on the extradition of the wanted man from Hong Kong.

'Of course, the government should continue to probe why Australia refused to extradite people involved in corruption,' he said.



Australia to test fugitive pact with Hong Kong