Plans to turn Hong Kong murder suspect over to Taiwan will resume once travel restrictions are lifted, says reverend
Reverend Peter Koon said he would go to Taiwan once travel bans are lifted to discuss plans for the surrender of Chan Tong-kai, a Hong Kong suspect wanted for murder in the self-ruled island.
Koon has been assisting Chan since his release from prison last October. Chan has been accused of killing his 20-year-old girlfriend, Poon Hiu-wing, in Taiwan in February 2018. He escaped back to Hong Kong, which could not charge him with murder and also does not have an extradition agreement with Taiwan.
Chan was instead convicted of money laundering after he admitted to using his girlfriend’s bank card and spent 19 months in prison before his release.
The Hong Kong government cited Chan’s case as the reason for drafting a controversial extradition bill that allowed for suspects to be extradited to mainland China. The now-withdrawn bill is responsible for sparking protests across the city that are still ongoing.
Koon had said earlier that Chan wished to turn himself in, but it is unclear if Chan still wished to surrender himself to Taiwan authorities.
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council spokesperson Chiu Chui-cheng said on Thursday that the island’s police and its Hong Kong counterpart established a window of communication that could be used to make the necessary arrangements if Chan wished to travel to Taiwan to face the legal consequences of his actions.
The key to the case was whether the Hong Kong government wanted to take responsibility and whether Chan truly wished to turn himself in, Chiu said.
Koon said he did not pay attention to reports about the case but told reporters that, once travel restrictions are lifted, he would go to Taiwan to discuss plans for Chan’s surrender.
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