Row escalates between Taiwan and Hong Kong over transfer of murder suspect at centre of extradition bill crisis
- City’s Security Bureau says mechanism set up by self-ruled island for transfer was unilateral and no assistance on evidence would be provided
- Salvo comes ahead of discussion between lawyers appointed by wanted man Chan Tong-kai and Taiwan authorities
Taiwanese lawyers representing Chan Tong-kai plan to discuss how to handle his return with authorities on the self-ruled island on Monday, according to the suspect’s spokesman Reverend Peter Koon Ho-ming.
In the latest exchange, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council reiterated it had established a special “single-window” mechanism to liaise with Hong Kong police and facilitate the handover – a move the city’s Security Bureau called “unilateral”.
We call on Chan and the Hong Kong authorities to … take concrete actions and get in touch
The council slammed the Hong Kong government for “achieving nothing” with returning Chan even after a year and multiple claims to provide assistance.
“The council has stressed that the crux of this case centres on Chan’s genuine intention to surrender and also the Hong Kong government’s sense of responsibility,” it said. “We call on Chan and the Hong Kong authorities to … take concrete actions and get in touch.”
The Security Bureau repeated its statement made the day before that no such communication mechanism existed and no assistance on evidence would be provided. The self-ruled island had simply provided information Chan could use to contact relevant authorities, which had already been passed along.