‘Illegal entrants must be tried on mainland’
Chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam said that the 12 people arrested by mainland law enforcement agencies over illegal entry and who were wanted by Hong Kong police must first complete legal proceedings in the mainland.
Twelve Hong Kong residents earlier left Hong Kong illegally and were arrested in mainland waters by mainland law enforcement agencies, who then notified Hong Kong police about the incident via a reciprocal notification mechanism.
The 12 people are suspected of being involved in seven criminal cases in Hong Kong.
Lam told the media ahead of the Executive Council meeting on Tuesday that the HKSAR government will follow its usual practice of bringing arrested persons back to Hong Kong after they have completed legal proceedings in the mainland.
Meanwhile, the HKSAR government will offer assistance to the relatives of the 12 people.
When taking questions with regard to a murder case that took place in Taiwan in 2018 and which involved Hong Kong resident Chan Tong-kai who allegedly killed his girlfriend and fled to Hong Kong, Lam said that Chan has completed his sentence for the crimes he committed in Hong Kong.
She said the government has no legal basis to take any further action against him, and has not received any response from Taiwan on the case.
Since there has been no arrangement of mutual legal assistance or surrender of fugitive offenders between Hong Kong and Taiwan, Chan could not be transferred to Taiwan for trial.
Chan felt remorse and was willing to bear the legal responsibility and surrender to Taiwan, Lam said, adding that the HKSAR government will offer him help.
To safeguard the rule of lawand justice as well as plug any legal loopholes, the government proposed the amendments to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Ordinance in February 2019.
However, Hong Kong’s opposition parties as well as radical forces have using these amendments as an excuse to instigate violence, and the government withdrew the Bill.