Hong Kong murder suspect at centre of extradition bill row ‘still under police protection’
- Chan Tong-kai is living with his mother at a safe house and has been asked to avoid contacting anyone over the internet, a source says
- The 20-year-old Hong Kong resident, wanted in Taiwan over the killing of his girlfriend, is still willing to go back to the island to face trial, according to reverend
Chan Tong-kai, 20, returned to Hong Kong after the death of his pregnant girlfriend, Poon Hiu-wing, in Taipei in February 2018, but authorities on the self-ruled island want him to return and face questioning. He was never sent back, given the lack of an extradition treaty between the two jurisdictions, which the administration cited in launching a bill on the transfer of suspects to other governments.
Chan did serve 19 months in Hong Kong for money-laundering after he used Poon’s funds while in the city and requested police protection upon his release last October.
He is staying in a safe house with his mother, where he is given general access to the internet and allowed to play video games but has been asked not to contact the outside world, according to a source familiar with his condition. Their meals were being arranged by police, the source said.
Security consultant Clement Lai Ka-chi, who served in the police’s VIP protection unit, said authorities might have deemed the arrangement necessary after conducting a risk-assessment.