Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam ‘relieved’ that murder suspect in extradition saga which sparked protest crisis to turn himself in to Taiwan
- Chan Tong-Kai is wanted in Taiwan for allegedly killing his pregnant girlfriend in Taipei last year
- The Hong Kong government claimed, when introducing the legislation that sparked the recent unrest, that sending him there was a key motivation
Hong Kong’s leader said on Saturday it was a relief that a murder suspect who helped spark the political crisis over the government’s now-withdrawn extradition bill has offered to turn himself in to Taiwan authorities.
Meanwhile, investigators on the self-ruled island said they would work with their Hong Kong counterparts on getting Chan Tong-Kai to head to Taiwan and surrender to police.
The government revealed in a statement late on Friday that Chan had written to Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor asking her administration to make the arrangements.
Speaking on an RTHK radio programme on Saturday, Lam said she hoped Chan’s decision would help calm social sentiments in Hong Kong, now in its fifth month of anti-government unrest sparked by opposition to an extradition bill which the government linked with Chan’s case.
The victim’s parents have been writing to me, asking the government to find ways to bring justice … I hope they can be relieved now
“It’s an ending that brings relief,” she said. “For the social unrest, I hope that this will bring about a relaxing feeling to society,” she said.