An influential trade body representing lawyers in Hong Kong has urged the government not to be in a rush to pass the controversial extradition bill, calling for extensive consultation on the matter. In its first submission on the fugitive bill on Wednesday, the Law Society also said more research was needed on providing further safeguards for those who faced being transferred overseas. Some members of the society even suggested the bill be shelved entirely, an opinion society president Melissa Kaye Pang called a “minority view” and not part of the body’s official position. The suggestions came a day before the legal profession was expected to stage a rare silent march in protest against the government’s proposals. The society joins the other professional body for the legal sector, the Bar Association, in expressing concerns, if not outright objections, to the bill. If passed, the legislation would allow Hong Kong to send suspects on a case-by-case basis to jurisdictions it does not have an extradition agreement with, including mainland China and Taiwan. “The Law Society takes the view that as the proposed legislative amendments have far-reaching and important implications, there should be a comprehensive review of the extradition regime in Hong Kong and an extensive consultation with the stakeholders and the community,” the organisation said in its 11-page submission. Firms hit back at Hong Kong push to curb foreign lawyer numbers “The process takes time. As such, the Hong Kong government should not rush the legislative exercise.” According to the society, the consultation should include focused research on the extradition arrangements between mainland China and other jurisdictions, and those between different jurisdictions within one country. The bill has drawn intense criticism from pan-democrats, the business sector and major foreign countries. Critics fear Beijing could use the new arrangement to target political opponents or that suspects would be sent to the mainland where they may not receive a fair trial. On Wednesday afternoon, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and her security and legal ministers once again briefed foreign diplomats in Hong Kong and representatives from commerce chambers on the bill. Among those in attendance were the United States’ top envoy in Hong Kong, Kurt Tong, Dieter Lamlé of Germany, and Carmen Cano, head of the EU’s office in the city – none of whom spoke to the media after the meeting. Hong Kong extradition bill will not include guarantee of a fair trial Officials said more than 70 representatives from foreign consulates, and over 20 representatives from overseas chambers of commerce were at the meeting. The government has claimed the bill must be passed quickly to send Hongkonger Chan Tong-kai to Taiwan, where he is wanted in connection with the murder of his pregnant girlfriend Poon Hiu-wing. Warning of more protests to come against fugitive bill Chan was jailed for 29 months in Hong Kong in April on money-laundering charges related to the killing and could be released as early as October, at which point he would be free to leave the city. The society suggested the government should “put forward proposals to address specifically” Chan’s situation. Summarising the “additional views” it has received, the society noted there was a belief among its members that the legislation should be shelved to allow time for closer scrutiny. While Pang said that was not the view of most members, Mark Daly, a member of the society’s council, disagreed. “Most of the people I have spoken to, the lawyers, have expressed serious concerns over the bill,” he said. “I didn’t speak to anybody who is in favour of the government’s way of doing it.” Extradition bill not tailor-made for mainland China, Carrie Lam says The society also acknowledged that some members believed the proposed arrangements could be used for political persecution and to suppress freedom of speech, and there were insufficient safeguards to protect a suspects’ rights. “The proposed case-by-case arrangement could easily and abusively be turned into a permanent mechanism to extradite Hong Kong people,” the society noted. “This will have profound and irreversible effects on the cherished status and the reputation of Hong Kong.” If the government does press ahead with the bill, it should consider recommendations from the society to provide fundamental protection for the defendants – but the suggestions “should not be taken as a compromise” of the society’s position, it stated. The society suggested the city’s courts should be able to try a Hong Kong person who had committed a serious crime overseas, while those facing extradition should be able to challenge the evidence against them. Civic Party lawmaker and barrister Dennis Kwok welcomed the submission. “I think it is well thought out, detailed, balanced and constructive. I would urge the government to really see the almost unanimous view held by the legal profession,” Kwok said. Matthew Cheung fails to win over AmCham on extradition bill “We all hold the same view that this extradition bill must be withdrawn, and that there should be a proper consultation.” In response to the Law Society, a Department of Justice spokesman said the existing Fugitive Offenders Ordinance balanced the needs of both apprehending fugitive offenders and protecting human rights. “For special surrender arrangements prescribed under the bill, there can be more instead of less requirements for protection of the rights of the subject, than general surrender arrangements under the existing Fugitive Offenders Ordinance,” he said. Additional reporting by Alvin Lum