Fugitives should only be extradited to Taiwan, not mainland China, Hong Kong opposition lawmakers and lawyers’ group urge government
- They fear judicial barrier under the ‘one country, two systems’ principle will be lowered under proposed changes
- Security minister John Lee dismisses their counterproposal during meeting with Civic Party
Hong Kong’s pro-democracy lawmakers and the head of the Bar Association want the government to work out an extradition arrangement with Taiwan instead of changing the law to include mainland China, Macau and other parts of the world.
Their main concern is that the mainland might take advantage of the change to seek the transfer of people in Hong Kong who are wanted across the border, and the lawmakers have little faith in the legal system there.
The extradition issue has been in the spotlight since the high-profile case of a young Hong Kong woman, Poon Hiu-wing, who disappeared in Taiwan during a holiday with her boyfriend Chan Tong-kai last February.
When Chan returned to Hong Kong alone, Poon’s worried parents told police. Taiwanese police found the woman’s decomposing body in Taipei last March.
