How justice falls through the cracks of a Taiwan-Hong Kong legal loophole

Without a cooperation framework with the city, Taiwanese police cannot pursue a range of criminals

But the island has been able to forge successful relationships with other jurisdictions

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Chan Tong-kai, the Hong Kong citizen at the centre of the present dispute, leaves prison on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

Published: 9:54am, 25 Oct 2019Updated: 10:07am, 25 Oct 2019

The dispute between Hong Kong and Taiwan over the voluntary return of a murder suspect to the island to stand trial highlights the struggle Taiwanese authorities have to fight such crimes without a judicial agreement with the city.

Hong Kong resident Chan Tong-kai allegedly killed his 20-year-old girlfriend Poon Hiu-wing during a holiday in Taiwan early last year and returned to Hong Kong soon after.

Chan’s case was one of the main factors behind the Hong Kong government’s decision to introduce an extradition bill that would have allowed criminal suspects to be transferred to jurisdictions – including Taiwan and mainland China – with which the city has no agreement.

But opposition to the bill erupted into the city’s biggest political crisis in decades and resulted in the complete withdrawal of the proposed legislation.

Chan has said he is willing to voluntarily surrender to authorities in Taiwan but over the last week, Hong Kong and Taipei have failed to agree on how that should take place.

How justice falls through the cracks of a Taiwan-Hong Kong legal loophole

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} Without a cooperation framework with the city, Taiwanese police cannot pursue a range of criminals But the island has been able to forge successful relationships with other jurisdictions

Without a cooperation framework with the city, Taiwanese police cannot pursue a range of criminals

But the island has been able to forge successful relationships with other jurisdictions