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Opinion | Why I marched against the extradition bill alongside a million Hong Kong people
- For my daughter, who asked me to. For a speedy resolution to the Taiwan murder case. And for an unrushed, comprehensive review of Hong Kong’s extradition arrangements
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What finally made up my mind to join the protest march on June 9 was a telephone conversation the day before with my 20-year-old daughter, now studying at university in the United States.
She said I had to take part because everyone knew I was pro-China and very supportive of the government and if they saw me there, perhaps they would stop and think again about going ahead with the amendments to Hong Kong’s extradition arrangements. It was a nice thought, if somewhat overestimating the influence of someone retired for 10 years after 34 years in the public service.
But why had I considered marching to begin with? To understand, we need to go back to the murder of a Hong Kong girl while on holiday in Taiwan with her boyfriend. The government, from the outset, conflated two different issues.
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One was the natural desire to see the alleged perpetrator returned to the island for trial. The second was the need, highlighted by the case, for a review of our extradition arrangements.
The first was important, albeit an individual episode, and carried a degree of urgency. The second was also important, with very wide implications, which required thorough deliberation and a measured pace. The government was trying to use the speed required for the first to justify a curtailed process for the second.
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