Hong Kong murder suspect at centre of extradition bill crisis ‘released from police safe house and living in remote area’
- Chan Tong-kai is wanted by Taiwanese authorities over the killing of his girlfriend in Taipei in 2018
- He has been moved to a safe house after serving a sentence in Hong Kong for money-laundering and is living somewhere remote, says priest
The Hong Kong murder suspect whose case triggered the extradition bill crisis in 2019 is no longer under police protection and is now living somewhere remote in the city, according to a priest who has been helping him.
Chan Tong-kai, wanted in Taiwan for the February 2018 killing in Taipei of his pregnant girlfriend Poon Hiu-wing had left a safe house operated by police, Reverend Canon Peter Koon Ho-ming said on Wednesday.
“He is now in a place where it would be hard for him to get in touch with other residents,” Koon said.
Chan, who was 19 at the time of the alleged crime, returned to Hong Kong after Poon’s death and was jailed for six months for related money-laundering offences.
He could not be sent to Taiwan to face murder charges because of the lack of an extradition deal between the city and the self-ruled island, and he stayed at the safe house following his release from jail in October 2019.